His lapine instincts taking over, and with little experience in controlling them, David made a leap for the doors that led deeper into the house. A trio of foxes, an old mansion, changing into a rabbit and now a ghostly dust cloud were just too much!
Springing lightly, his powerful legs drove him into a dive from Scott's vulpine form and went off at a shot! Scott could only stare at the empty space that David had formerly occupied and glance after him, stunned by his speed.
"Wait! Dave!"
His heart racing, David sped out of the room with the fireplace and kept going. A sudden, heavy weight fell on him from behind, knocking him to the ground and pinning him to the dusty floorboards. "David, wait!"
He could smell fox all over him ... a predator that was trying to eat him! David squirmed and yowled, kicking with his powerful legs and trying to find purchase on the smooth floor. "Damnit, David; it's me, Saul!"
Saul? The voice was that of his old friend ...mostly, at any rate... but he *smelled* fox... Fox. Yes, Saul was a fox. But Saul was his friend, too, wasn't he? A co-worker?
Slowly, David's struggles faded and a low, rumbling laughter echoed throughout the halls of the old house. "Excellent... Excellent... Now, eat him..."
David looked up at the vulpine face of Saul as his friend scowled. "You know I'm not going to do that, David," he said, slowly getting up. "Look, I don't know what that old coot wanted, but I'm *not* going to hunt you...!"
David's face went blank as he stared past Saul at something just out of view.
"What...? What is it?" A chill came over Saul as he slowly turned his head...