A/N: WHOA! It's been such a long time since I updated this book. Apologies. I haven't forgotten about the story, it's just that I've been busy and my creativity for writing has 'flown the coop' so to speak. This chapter is I don't know, it sounds too boring. COMMENT your opinions at the bottom to help me out here. 

I was completely and utterly lost.

And I didn't think any amount of enhanced smell was going to help me.

I wandered around and around or wandered in a whole bunch of straight lines – I couldn't tell the difference – for a long time. My nose to the air, I inhaled deeply several times, trying to pick up something in the air. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

There wasn't even one scent!

Was there anything living in this forest?

A eerie whine filled the air and a tremor shook my body. Actually, I could believe nothing was in here; what type of creature would want to live in such a desolate forest, with no greenery and not even a breath of wind to ruffle your fur?

I kicked a dead branch on the ground and it rolled, the sound of wood bouncing against stone echoing in the white mist. The handle of the dagger was slick with sweat and I switched hands, wiping my shaking palm on my pants.

Cursing, I berated myself. I'm the Fox of Greed, one of the seven deadly sins. I should not be afraid of anything. I am a predator that sits on one of the highest rungs of the food chain.

I shouldn't be afraid!

A flurry of feathers, a set of claws and a piercing screech came barrelling out at me. Shrieking, I slashed out with my dagger furiously. A shrill cry and whatever it was that attacked me flew off, leaving behind a splatter of purple blood at my feet.

Deep, ragged breaths left my mouth, my throat felt raw from shrieking and I felt on the verge of tears. With my back against a black tree, I sank to the ground, my knees unable to support my weight anymore.

My head throbbed intensely with pain at each heartbeat and I rubbed the bruised bump on my temple softly to relieve the pain.

How was I going to find my blasted way out of this forest? I had already tried scent and before that, retracing my footprints. But something had messed them up so much so that I just knew I was going around in circles.

Drawing my knees to my chest, I buried my face in bent arms, trying to think. How else can I find Meliodas, Elizabeth and Hawk?

Something wet and warm dropped onto the back of my neck and for a few heartbeats, I didn't move. Another few fell on my arms and I raised my eyes to look at them.

Blood.

Dark purple blood.

Holding a breath, I craned my neck up to look at the bare tree tops and the creature I had slashed vehemently ruffled a croup of purple feathers. Then it regarded me with a shiny red orb and fluttered to the ground, favouring it's left leg as it landed.

It screeched at me and I whipped my dagger up at it, tip levelled with it's eye. It tilted it's head and pecked the shiny metal. Clucking, it hopped around , scratching at the earth.

Oh my god. It's some sort of chicken hybrid?!

Now, the longer I looked at, I could see the resemblance. It had a huge plume of tail feathers and a small crest on it's head. But that's where the similarities between poultry stopped. It's beck was curved and sharp, more akin to a hawk, while it's talons looked more at home curled around a branch than on the earth. When it flapped it's wings, I saw that the underside was scaly.

Then it shrieked again and jumped at me. I didn't have time to raise my dagger but realised I didn't have to. All the 'chicken' did was settle on my head and began tugging at my hair.

Great, just great.

The Fox held captive by a chicken.

It squawked.

"Unless you can help me out of here, my next option is to pluck you and eat you," I threatened and it gave a low warble. Then tugged on my hair again.

"Stop it!" I yelled, swiping a hand at it. The pressure lifted then landed back on my head. It tugged at my hair once again. "What the hell! What is it that... you... want?" Understanding began to dawn on me.

The 'chicken' was pulling my hair on the right side of my head. I stood slowly, chicken wobbling slightly, and turned in the direction it tugged. It stopped. I spun the other way and it pecked my skull.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I'm going this way," I growled but my heart lifted. Was it helping me?

Or was I being led into a trap?

Pushing away the doubt, I let the chicken lead me. Twisting and turning we went, clambering over fallen trees and scrambling over boulders. On and on, for so long that I lost track of time and my sense of direction.

The world was the same in all directions when I stopped for a breather, shielding my eyes from the sudden glare. Just then, a child- like laughter sounded and my heart skipped a beat. The chicken clucked slowly and moved restlessly on my head. With a flap, it landed on the ground beside me, favouring it's leg. 

I turned slowly as another bout of laughter sounded, older now but still ethereal, a hint of bells in the voice. 

There, sitting in the middle of the path, was an orange and white fox. It cleaned behind it's ear with a paw, tail swishing against the ground. 

"Mum?" I whispered, tears forming in my eyes. 

Ears flicking, the fox straightened and got to its feet. A long scar branded around the fox's leg, a sign I knew that the fox before me was my mother. She had received that injury when she was young, entangled in a hunter's wire trap. 

"Mum!" I shouted, running towards her. But she turned away from me and began to run. "No, wait! Don't leave me!" I sobbed, then stumbled. 

I fell, my hand snatching at the air in front of me and her swishing tail. But when my hand closed around her bright orange tail, it lost all colour and dispersed into wraithlike smoke. Shocked, I watched as the rest of her paused, as if frozen in time, and her body exploded into smoke. 

My hand opened and closed amidst raucous laughter, echoing and bouncing around the forest. My heart broke then and there and the sense of hopelessness that had been weighing down on me slowly dropped with full force upon my body. 

It crushed me, driving all the air from my lungs. 

And allowed all the sadness, the guilt, the fear, every negative emotion I'd felt since the day of my waking, to flood through my body and suffocate me. For the first time in years, I bawled like a baby fox, curled into a ball.

I tried to push it all away, tried to lock it deep within me. There would be other times for me to review this sadness and longing. But it slipped by my defences, wormed its way deep into me.  

I wanted my family back, my old life, my perfect fox form. 

I want to go home. 

"No," my lips opened to form the words. "No." With strength now, a command, a mantra. "No. No. No." 

"This is my life now," I said through gritted teeth, digging my fingers into the soft earth and crouched. My hand reached for my dagger blindly and when my hands closed around the handle, I stood tall. "So whoever the hell you are," I drew my arm back, the one with the dagger, "get lost and take your stupid tricks with you!" I roared. 

The dagger thunked! into the closest tree, vibrating. With several squeals, funny little monsters with purple capes bounded away and with them, they took the suffocating sadness. The mist lifted and now, I could see the path for a good two hundred metres. 

Panting, I retrieved the dagger, ripping from the tree violently. Shame heated my cheeks at the way my emotions had overwhelmed me, placed me in a corner and drowned me. I swore then and there that I wouldn't let it happen again. 

"Come on," I snapped at the chicken and it fluttered back onto my head, pulling my head in the right direction again. 

But then...

My nose began to pick up something. A faint smell, sort of like...

Roasting pork.

"Hawk," I breathed out, quickening my pace. "Hawk!" I began to shout, louder and louder, until I came before a group of people.

Several were my friends, another was a giant lady and the other, a Holy Knight with a sword bathed in lightning. My dagger was poised before I even knew what I was doing and the chicken had fluttered from my head, regarding the people with it's beady eyes.

"Estra- ARGH!" Elizabeth cried, the bands of lightning around her tightened with each movement.

My eyes narrowed on the Holy Knight. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my friends?"