Why am I being hugged from behind?!

I feel warm... let me lie like this... just... a bit... longer...

I have no idea where I am... but for now...

...

[What happened? Where am I?]

I jumped up. Then the world around me started spinning and I fell down.

Why can't I stand up?

"Are you alright?!" Through the throbbing in my head I heard a loud female voice.

I looked in a direction of that voice. My sight is blurred, so I can't see anything.

[Fight or flight? I don't know if they are friendly, and if they will skin me.]

'Hisssss!' I hissed at the voice, and showed my canines.

"C-calm down!" The voice was spooked, and stepped back.

I continued hissing but did not do anything more than that. I couldn't even stand properly, so fighting was out of question.

"Everything is alright, little fox." The voice tried to approach me, but before it got close, I decided to strike.

I mustered all of my weakened strength, and leaped at the female, trying to scratch her with my 'claws'.

I couldn't even approach her, and had to try falling back at least somewhere.

"Don't worry, little fox. I won't hurt you." The voice sounded tender and nice, but from the way it dodged my attack, I could clearly tell it can take me down anytime.

Almost blind, and barely standing, I started to feel my legs shake, not only from me being in a bad state but also from... fear...

The voice tried to approach me again, so I used my last resort.

"Wow! Hey, c-calm down!" I created the foxfires, and while the voice was scared away, I crawled backwards. Until I hit a wall.

The voice continued approaching. I have a slight chance to knock it out, so I charged again.

"Sorry!" The voice shouted, and then... I lost consciousness.

---

“*&!@@*!& ?”

“^#@*&^ !”

My mind was in haze.

I started hearing unknown voices around me, but I couldn't even lift a finger.

I had no strength to fight, and was completely at their mercy.

Left with nothing but my tears...

Something touched my forehead... it was cold and pleasant...

And soothing...

But then I felt like something touches my body. I jolted and tried to stand up to run away, only to totter and fall.

I did not feel an impact, instead, I was caught by unknown hands.

[Why did they catch me? Why not let me fall? Am I their catch? Are they enemies? Are they not?]

Soon I lost consciousness again.

...

When I woke up, I found myself lying on a bed. On a seat near me was standing a bowl with a towel in it.

I couldn't stand up, or move properly, but at least I could clearly see and understand what was happening around me.

While I had nothing to do, I started reflexing on what happened back then.

[I was bitten, but how? The goblins couldn't do anything, and a mongrel managed to? This doesn't make sense!

Maybe the world punished me for not saving those people? Or the God? Or the system? Or whatever else? Just like when you get karma assigned to you, and for my bad karma I was punished?

Those darned bastards! First you make me a piece of rubbish, and then you make me fight a horde of huge scary beasts?! JUST HOW DOES IT WORK?!]

'Creak'

My thoughts were interrupted by a creak.

Somebody entered, and approached the bed.

A young woman put her hand on my forehead.

"You finally woke up." She was relieved.

I was very suspicious of her, but this time I decided not to attack. I remained silent.

"How are you feeling?" The woman soaked the towel, and tried to put it on me.

"Who are you?!" I barked with a hoarse voice.

"I am Elina. We picked you up near a campfire. You were in fever." (E)

"Then why am I here?!" I continued the interrogation.

"Because we took you with us." She answered without hesitation.

"Why not just abandon me?"

"Why would we abandon a dying person?! We already lost out friends, and then we had to leave another one to die?!" The woman exploded.

[Maybe they passed by the campsite to meet with that group.]

"Understood. Where are we, then?"

"In Crystal Town, near the main road. ... Two days of travelling from the place we picked you up." Nothing rang a bell, so I continued listening.

"Well, I answered your questions. How about you answer mine?" She stared at me.

"Not interested." I turned away, and tried to stand up.

Seating myself was easy, so was standing up.

But standing was not.

"Why are you so stubborn?!" Elina caught me before I fell.

"Do I have a reason to care?" Thank you, and everything, but I am not a nice person to be grateful to the point of entrusting myself.

Immediately after she sat me on the bed, I tried to stand up again. And again. And again...

The best result I got is sitting on the floor, without falling to a side.

"You are something..." At this point she abstained from trying to stop me.

I tried to make myself at least comfortable on the floor. How I managed to properly sit myself in seiza is a mystery, but it is better than sitting like a toddler.

"Did she wake up?" Then the door opened, and a male flew in, making me fall from the surprise.

'Hisssss!'

"Sorry?" The male looked at me with repentance, but I continued hissing at him for nullifying all of my struggles in one swoop.

"Why don't you just return to the bed? Sitting on the floor is not going to help you recover." (E)

"And lying would?" I glared at them.

"Come on, Elina. Have you heard that children always want their efforts to be recognized?" I lit up the foxfires.

"Why don't we talk about something else...? Flowers? Little fox, what flowers do you like?" That guy tried to shift my attention, but this childish trick did not work on me. Especially when those two think I am a child.

"Please, don't be mad at him. He is just an idiot." Elina sighed, and cautiously offered her hand.

I dissolved the foxfires. At least for now.