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Chapter One - Graveyard Shift

Gazing across the dark city, not a single torch or candlelight could be seen. The city slept peacefully under the threat of winter's first snows looming in the atmosphere. In this cold and darkness, anyone who was smart enough would be trying to sleep through the night and wait for the warmth of the sun's rays.

Not me though. I sat in the ruins of an abandoned house that had fallen into complete disarray, huddled against myself as I tried to ward off the cold. The pain of hunger added to my discomfort, but it reminded me to keep a watchful gaze through the window of this ruin, that looked over the back of a local bakery. The only chance I had to eat was to hope that the baker would neglect his bread or pastries long enough for me to grab one. That or the baker would make a mistake and throw out burned food.

Knees up to my chest with my paws wrapped around them, I started to shiver. Fortunately my tail was long and I managed to wrap it around my hindpaws to help keep the cold out of the little ball of grey fur I formed. I hoped my white, longer coat would come in soon because I was having trouble fighting off the cold with my just my summer coat. The abused clothes I wore did nothing to protect me from the elements. They had holes in them everywhere and even the pants I wore was torn from the rim down to the top of my thigh.

Finally the pain of hunger faded away while I gazed through my brown eyes at the bakery, waiting for the bakers to wake. In order for my body to sustain itself, it felt like my body was feeding on me and that's what caused the pain. I knew that my body wouldn't only be idle for a few hours before it would start demanding more and feed on what little muscles I did have. The second hunger pains were always more persistent, and never faded.

To my relief, a couple hours before the sun would rise, I saw candlelight glow from within the bakery. The bakers were awake and would soon start cooking for the day. I stayed alert while I waited, only seeing the shadows cross the closed shutters occasionally. Smoke had started to rise from the top of the bakery, and I hoped that the wind would carry the scent of bread away from me. Smelling the fresh cooked bread would make the hunger return faster.

There was something else that I noticed, before the bread could be even close to being completed. From the roads leading toward the docks rolled up a cart, pulled by someone big and muscular. I sat up and squinted my eyes to look more closely. The driver of the cart went to the back of the bakery and knocked on the door. I tried to see what species the baker was that answered the door, or the cart driver who suddenly arrived but couldn't see the details of either one of them through the darkness.

The baker went to the cart with the driver, picked up something from the back and held it up. Before my eyes could identify the item, my stomach knew what it was. I could not believe it, the cart was full of fruit. I loved fruit but didn't think there'd be any left this late in the season. There was no way I'd let this opportunity pass me by. Uncurling myself, I felt the cold rush in. I ignored it quickly climbed down from the ruined home.

There was a small wall separating me from the bakery but there were plenty of broken crates and barrels stacked up against it that made it easy for me to climb up and scale to the top of the wall. Peeking over the wall, I saw the baker and cart driver still talking near the cart.

"...fifty for all five crates," I overhead the baker say.

"That's the value of only four crates," complained the driver, his voice deep.

"You have too much to sell before it spoils, I'm not paying any more than fifty," negotiated the baker. The driver reluctantly agreed, and the baker disappeared back into the building while the driver grabbed a crate and followed him in.

That was my opportunity. I jumped over the wall, carefully going down the other side with limited loose stones to use for pawholds. I dropped down into the shadows with a small grunt. Scared that they might have heard me, I turned and watched the backdoor of the bakery. No one came out.

Staying close to the wall where it was darkest, I took quiet steps toward the cart. My heart was beating fast in my chest from the anxiety of hoping that I don't get caught. I knew a beating was in store for me if I did get caught so I used as much stealth I could.

Hearing voices from the bakery, my breath caught in my chest and I stopped in my tracks. My heart started to beat even faster as I saw two shadowy figures come out the back of the bakery. I covered the end of my nose, hoping to catch my breath before it could be seen precipitating in the air. I closed my eyes so that they wouldn't see them reflect the dull light from within the bakery.

"...prices are outrageous around this time of the year," now the baker seemed to be lecturing the driver. I couldn't see what they were doing but from the noises I heard, I figured that they were carrying in more crates of fruit. "The fruit that doesn't spoil by the time it reaches this city is way too expensive. No one..."

Their voices faded and I risked opening my eyes again to see the cart left unattended. I hurried over to it being as silent as I possibly could. Standing next to the cart, I looked up to see that it was twice as high as I was tall. Carefully climbing up one of the wheels, I was at the top when it suddenly shifted with a loud snap_and I fell into the back of the cart and among the crates full of fruit. My knee landed onto one of the crates, breaking a board with a loud _crack!

Damn it. There was no way that wasn't heard by anyone inside the bakery. I looked at the crate that I fell through. My hopes were dashed when I saw that the break in the board wasn't clean through, and from the small indentation of the board had already crushed the fruits beneath it. Stealth abandoned, I closed my paw into a fist and hit the board again with another loud crack splitting the air. I hit it repeatedly until the board finally did break into two pieces.

"Hey! Get off of there!" The voice came from deep within the bakery.

My breath caught in my throat and my heart sunk but the hunger kept me going so I forced my paws beneath the board and pried it back. It stuck for a moment but with another crack, the two pieces of board came loose. Hearing the rushed footsteps get closer, I thrust my paw into the opening in the crate, grabbed the first fruit I found and jumped off the cart. I could feel the paws of the cart driver brush the end of my tail.

Breath still stuck in my throat, I forced one hindpaw in front of the other as fast as my legs would go. My claws dug into the dirt as I sprinted for the alleyway bordering between the bakery and the wall surrounding it. I didn't stop even after I rounded the shop and entered the barren street.

Cold air filled my lungs as I tried to breathe while I ran. Remembering the angry voice of the cart driver made my breath catch in my throat several times, only to come out as sobs. Maybe it was the baker that yelled at me, I don't know. I wasn't doing anything bad, not really, so why were they so angry with me? Would they rather I starve?

A dozen blocks away from the bakery, I finally stopped in a secluded alleyway. I look at the fruit that I managed to steal, realizing it was the one that was smashed when the board caved in. It felt like the whole city would rather watch me starve to death, and I didn't understand why they were so cruel. My appetite was gone but my hunger forced me to eat the ruined fruit, with tears in my eyes.

I ate it all, even the parts ruined with small splinters of wood in it until there was nothing but the pit of the fruit left. I even licked the juices that soaked into the fur on my paws. Hunger still persisted, demanding more food and even though I wanted to stay there and hide until the sun rose, I forced myself up and back out away from the docks in search of something else to eat.

The sky had started to lighten revealing the clear sky while I wandered the city streets. The city had started to stir when the dawn broke and the sun's light started to shine on the streets that were filling with others. Walking among the morning market, hoping to see something fall from a stall, I was often overlooked because the top of my ears didn't reach the belt of the adults.

I only remembered two summers, this one that's ending now being the second but other than that I had no idea how old I was. Every memory I have has been without a home and surviving only by stealing food. All I worried about was finding my next meal; where I came from, where my parents were, I could not think on it otherwise I would starve.

I was not alone scouring the marketplace for something to eat. Other orphans from around the city were now awake as well. Whenever one of us was seen by a guard, we'd be scowled at and told to move along with a kick. To avoid being trampled accidentally by the tall adults, I waited near one of the stalls at the corner of the market. I was too short to be seen over the counter by the merchant so I was left alone while I watched fur and tails flow through the market.

Across the flow of traffic, I saw a butcher roughly chop at some sort of animal meat. A small scrap with fur and skin still on it fell from the counter and into the dirt.

Food. My eyes locked onto the meat lying in the dirt. I jumped up, pushed my way through the crowd to the other stall. I reached for the small scraps but just as I grabbed it another paw reached for it. Instinctively I yanked the scraps to my chest and held it tight in my arms, my eyes looking at the other who had reached for it.

It was civet that was nearly a head taller than me. He was still young but I could have been at least two summers younger than he.

"Give it to me," threatened the civet, holding out his paw.

I stared into his yellow eyes, seeing the desperation of hunger that he was feeling too. I carefully took a step back, holding the scrap of meat as if my life depended on it.

"Give it to me," he repeated, shouting this time. I shook my head but the civet grabbed my paws and ripped the meat from my paws.

"No, that's mine!" I shouted, holding tightly onto the food. I pulled on it, nearly ripping it in half but the civet was too greedy, or hungry, to settle for half. Without warning he tackled me and I felt most of my breath forced out of my lungs as I hit the ground. I held on tight while trying to push away the civet, but the other orphan did the same. We were rolling in the dirt fighting with one another but I was clearly losing.

With a sudden and painful force meeting my gut, all air my lungs came out in a violent and forced cough. Releasing the scraps, I rolled over and wrapped my arms around my stomach, gasping for air. I vaguely saw the guard standing over me, pulling on the tail of the civet who tried to flee when he was given the opportunity. The guard who had kicked me threw the civet against the wall and tore the meat from his grip before throwing whatever remained of it to the ground and stomping it into the dirt. The pain made my midsection incredibly sore, but I slowly stumbled to my hindpaws and fled from the guard.

"Next time I catch you stealing, you'll lose a paw," I heard the guard threaten the crying civet.

Escaping the market, I still held onto my stomach as I tried to catch my breath. The tears in my eyes from the pain started to leak into my fur. Despite the pain I felt, others still threatened to walk into me either because they didn't see the short orphan hunched over in pain, or they didn't care.

I would find no food at the marketplace. It was a mistake going there in the first place, with guards like that on duty that day. A block away from the market, the pain had subsided enough for me to stand up straight again. Still, I went slowly heading toward the docks, towards river that fed into the ocean.

Passing through the streets near other shops of all varieties, I felt the eyes watching me carefully as I walked by. Even fabric and jeweler merchants kept a careful eye on me, even though I never stole anything except food.

Two hours had passed before I reached the river. The water was higher up the river banks back in spring, allowing everyone to use it freely. Now, it was crowded so I cautiously approached in hopes of drinking. The folk mostly ignored me but I still felt their eyes watching me. In the small part of the river I approached were a couple of naked younglings, playing and bathing in the water. Two otters, siblings by the look of it and they looked no older than myself. I ignored them, and they ignored me as I drank from the murky water less than a meter from them.

I was surprised to find how cold the water was, and yet the two otters still bathed in the river. The cold water revived the ache in my gut but it quickly dulled. Thirst satisfied, and tired from the day, I followed the river downstream toward the ocean and the docks.

It was near midday when I reached a familiar alleyway that had a small broken barrel lying on its side in it. That barrel was the warmest place I had found that wasn't occupied by another orphan. If today reminded me of anything, it would be that I couldn't defend myself if another orphan tried to take whatever I have. I approached and climbed in, hoping to sleep before the pain of being kicked, or the pain of hunger prevented me from sleeping at all.

Having only eaten the flesh of a single piece of fruit, I closed my eyes and wished that tomorrow would be a better day. Tuning out the sounds of the docks and the city, I eventually found myself drifting off to the abyss.

In the middle of the night, a pain in my stomach woke me. Blinking a few times to clear my vision, I saw it was completely dark. The events of yesterday reminded me of the kick I suffered, but I did not know if it was the kick or the hunger that woke me.

Glancing up to see the moon, it was already high in the sky. Slowly I uncurled myself from inside the barrel and unwillingly released the small amount of heat that I had trapped in there. Left in the care of the cold again, I folded my arms across my chest and headed for the docks. There were usually some taverns still serving, and throwing away, food at this hour.

Streets once again void of traffic, allowed me to walk through them without feeling the pressure of those hateful eyes on the nape of my neck. I don't understand how the other orphans who searched food only by day could handle those hateful glares.

Nearing the docks, I hesitated when I heard the sounds of a cart being pulled up ahead. Glancing through the darkness, I saw a pale light of a lantern hanging off a cart. Hoping that it'd be carrying food, I hurried forward and tried to catch a glimpse of what was in it. The cart was on four wheels, and being pulled by some one obviously very strong, like the cart from the night before. Before I could see what was in the cart, I could smell the scent of stale bread lingering behind.

It was carrying food, and the excitement caused my heart to speed up a little. Following at a distance, I planned on a way that would allow me to grab some bread without being noticed, before it arrived at its destination. A noise repeated itself, while I followed. Squeaking and a soft knocking sound came from the cart itself. Curious, I risked getting a little closer to see what it was. One of the wheels hit a small crevice in the road and wobbled, threatening to fall off.

An idea came to me, but I had to get ahead of the cart first. Staying in the shadows on the side of the street, I picked up my pace as I tried to get ahead of the cart without its driver seeing me. We were nearing the docks, and I knew that the cart full of stale bread would reach its destination soon.

When I caught up with the cart, I stayed close to the empty stalls and the small alleys of the houses. Carefully I watched the driver of the cart pull it through the streets while I snuck pass him and gained a lead. Ahead by half a block, I was too near the dock to gain much more of a lead so I stopped and looked around for something to use. Nearby in the frozen mud was a shattered barrel. I yanked a piece out of the ground and glanced back at that cart that was quickly catching up to me. Knowing that I would be seen, I darted across the road but dropped the piece of barrel in the path of the wobbling wheel on the cart.

Waiting on the side of the road in the shadows, I watched the cart slowly get closer. I kept my breathing as calm as I could while I waited to see if my plan would work. Steadily the cart drew closer, until finally the first wheel roughly ran over the chunk of barrel. The second back wheel ran it over and wobbled with a satisfying crack echoing out in the darkness.

The wheel didn't break off but the cart stopped. The driver could be hear muttering curses to himself while he went back to check on the wheel. This was my chance, so I crept from the shadows and approached the cart with as much stealth as I could. The driver continued to curse, and smacked the wheel a few times.

Reaching the cart I was still unable to see over the top of it, but rather than climbing in, I reached up with one paw and felt around for a piece of bread. I felt my paw grip one so I pulled it out.

"You again?" an unsettling familiar voice yelled. It was the same voice of the cart driver from the night before. The same cart and wheel that I broke the night before as well.

I gripped the loaf of bread in my paw as tight as I could and immediately ran for the dark nearby alley. I made it several meters down the alley before my tail was gripped and I was slammed into the wall.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I cried, throwing the bread back away from me and on the ground. My ears splayed back against my head, and I closed my eyes hoping that if I didn't see the beating come, it wouldn't come at all.

A sharp sting on the side of my head brought me down to one knee, followed by the dull ache from receiving a heavy fist to my temple. The driver's boot came across my ribs, throwing me back against the wall again, only to slump down to the ground.

"You intended for that to happen, am I wrong?" the voice of the driver shouted angrily but his voice was dull due to my ringing ears as he kicked me several more times. I tried to protect myself by blocking his kicks but my paw was bent back painfully, causing me to yelp in pain. Finally the assault ended. "Stop stealing from my cart!"

I tried to breathe but I only managed sob and cry, my tears mixing with blood and mud. Whenever I tried to move, it sharpened all the pain that caused my whole body to ache. I did my best to wrap my tail around myself to help protect from the cold while I lied in that dark alley for several minutes. The hunger pain was dull compared to how my whole body felt.

"You really messed up," I heard a strange voice say nearby me. By the tone it was obviously someone about as young as me.

Great, another orphan to gloat over how I was beaten. My ears pulled back again and I tried to tuck my head deeper into my huddled self, away from the voice.

Whoever was nearby shuffled a bit, the noise close enough that I knew they were practically standing over me. When the shuffling stopped, a strong scent of the bread filled my muzzle. I opened my eyes to see a black paw holding a loaf of bread in front of my nose. I glanced up to see the orange eyes of a black wolf looking back at me. He was holding another four loaves of bread in his arms.

"It's yours," he said, not unkindly. "When the driver chased you, I got a whole basket of bread from his cart so I owe you one." Glancing to near where the wolf knelt, I saw the basket he boasted about.

Cautiously I reached for the bread, expecting some trick or trap. Slowly I put my paw on the loaf, and dug my claws into its stale crust. I was surprised when the wolf let go, freely offering me food. I stared at the loaf of bread in my paw, thinking back to the last time someone gave me food freely. It was back in spring when some adolescent chipmunk gave me some hard nuts. When I went back to see if I could get some more, I was chased off by the adult chipmunks like I was some sort of pest.

Holding onto the bread with one paw, I tried to push myself up with the other but it was a painful experience. I was about to collapse back down when the black paw of the wolf held me up. With the extra support, I managed to sit up. Slow and careful to not upset my sore body, I started to gnaw on the bread.

"That ox recognized you," said the wolf, eating on another loaf that he stole. "You shouldn't steal from the same person. They really don't like it when you do that."

I'm being scolded after being beaten. "I didn't know it was the same..." I mumbled quietly. I kept my eyes on the loaf of bread, refusing to look at the wolf.

I ate there, too weak to move and the wolf didn't leave me alone for whatever reason. I quickly devoured the loaf of bread, but it didn't satisfy my hunger completely.

"Here, have another," the wolf said, holding another loaf of bread to me.

When given free food, I didn't question it but I was still hesitant to accept. I took the loaf of bread but before I bit into it, I looked over at the wolf into his eyes again. He smiled and started on a second loaf himself.

"No one ever gives me stuff," I said, my voice still low. I returned my gaze to the second loaf before I started to take bites out of it.

"I saw what you did, with the piece of wood," the black wolf said. "You broke the wheel on the cart. That must be why the driver was so mad. It would have worked if he didn't see you and I wouldn't have gotten anything for myself."

What he said sounded strange to me. If someone was watching me successfully steal food, they'd tried to take it from me rather than watch me eat it. No one cared if I had food stolen from me, just like the guard and the civet in the market.

After finishing the second loaf of bread my hunger was satisfied. Against the wall I stayed, trying to ignore the dull ache of my body. The wolf had started on a third loaf but I didn't ask for more, even if I knew I could eat another loaf myself.

"I haven't seen you on the streets before," the wolf stated after half way through his third loaf of bread. "I know it's a big city but I recognize most orphans. An arctic fox is hard to miss too."

"A what?" I asked, unfamiliar with his words. I glanced over at the wolf again, and het met my gaze.

"An arctic fox," repeated the wolf, his eyes showing his confusion. "That's what you are. There are a few arctic foxes in the city, have you not met any of them?" I shook my head, only to rediscover the pain inflicted by being hit across the head. "You're an arctic fox. What's your name, arctic fox?"

I turned my gaze away and stared at the dirt between my hindpaws. "I don't have one," I answered quietly.

"The others call me Midnight," the wolf told me before his voice quickly sounded excited. "Hey, we should stick together. This is the best I've eaten in like a hundred moons! If you do that trick again, then we both can eat like this all the time."

The thought of trying to break another cart just to get beaten again didn't sound as exciting to me as it did to the wolf. But this wolf did give me two loaves of bread, and he was bigger than me so maybe other orphans wouldn't always try to steal from me.

"Okay," I agreed. "Your bigger than me so next time you can distract the driver."

"Oh," mumbled the wolf, Midnight, remembering how well my plan worked out. "Let's come up with a different idea then. I'm thirsty, let's go the river."

The stale bread had left my throat dry so I agreed. I struggled and stumbled to rise but the wolf was surprisingly patient. He grabbed my wrist to help me up but I yelped again in pain and jerked my paw away from him, fresh tears welling up in my eyes.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Put an arm around me and I'll help you toward the river. The water will make you feel better." With the support of the wolf, I managed to limp with him parallel to the docks as we headed for the river.

Exhausted by the time we arrived, I lied down on the dirt and took deep, pain-filled breaths. I closed my eyes and listened to the flow of the river. I could also hear the wolf drinking from the water as well. I was startled when I felt something incredibly cold press to my wrist. Opening my eyes I saw the wolf had carried some water in his paws and was pouring it over my wrist.

"I see the adults do this when their younglings get hurt," Midnight explained. "I tried it when I was pushed into a wall and it makes it feel better after a bit."

"My whole body hurts though," I complained.

"Then go take a bath, you stink anyway," laughed the wolf. Forcefully he started to pull on the rough shirt I wore. Pain lanced down the side of my ribs.

"Stop, stop that, it hurts," I cried, pushing the wolf away from me. "Don't touch me." The wolf's ears went back and it looked as if he was about to cry. I ignored him but didn't disagree about taking a cold bath. I had to be careful to not use my sprained wrist as I removed my shirt. Untying the string around the rim of my pants, they dropped to my ankles, fully exposing me to the cold. Stepping into the water, the tip of my long tail quickly became submerged. It took a few seconds for me to feel it on through my fur but I waded into the water until I was submerged. "It's freezing."

Without warning, the now naked black wolf jumped in beside me and splashed me. He laughed while he continued to splash me but I found it annoying.

"Stop that," I requested. The wolf did stop for a moment and his expression quickly changed to one of shock.

"It is freezing!" he yelled, folding his arms across his chest. "I swam in here on the last full moon and it wasn't this cold."

Midnight waded out of the water, his soaked tail swaying like a wet rag. He shook his body, sending water flying in all directions before pulling on his clothes again. His damp fur made his clothes damp as well.

Although when the cold settled in it dulled away the pain but the cold itself was starting to be painful as well so I followed the wolf out of the water. My naked fur was drenched, all signs of my white coat coming in now blended with my grey fur all over my body. I tried to shake but it was too painful. The best I could do was to sway my tail back and forth to throw the water off.

"I can show you my place," Midnight said. "We'll be warmer there. You can start thinking of the next way we can steal a basket full of food there."

It dawned on me then, that if I wanted Midnight's help and protection, I would have to come up with some clever ideas to steal food for both of us. The realization was somewhat overwhelming to me but I didn't say anything and followed the wolf back through the dark streets, away from the docks of the city. Staying near the river, we went uptown toward the large keep at the top of the hill. I haven't been this close to the keep before but I followed the wolf still, as he led me to the top of some building that was destroyed by fire. On the roof was a storage gazebo, half collapsed but the fabric covering it was still in relatively good shape.

"This is what I found," boasted Midnight. He led me toward it, and inside was a ruin but it was obvious that the wolf had been sleeping there by some fabrics laid out in the corner that was most protected by what remained of the gazebo. "You can stay here too, there's enough room."

"This is much better than the barrel I sleep in," I said, admiring that the wolf managed to keep this place from the older orphans. Even though I had only been awake for a couple hours, sleeping again did sound appealing.

"Here," Midnight said, pulling on the fabrics that was his bed. He spread them out just enough so that they both could lie on them. "You can sleep here, and I'll sleep here."

The wolf removed his clothes and set them near the corner of gazebo before he lied down. He curled up just before putting the clothes on top of him as some sort of blanket. I kept my clothes on and lied down next to him, being more exposed to the ruined side of the gazebo. I didn't mind though because it was more comfortable than the that barrel, even if it was colder.

Midnight didn't stir anymore so I stared out the ruined gazebo up at the sky. The moon and stars were no longer visible, replaced by dark clouds. Before I finally succumbed to sleep that my abused body demanded, I saw a few snowflakes fall from the sky.