They met at twilight: a woman, scratched and sore, and a fox with mauled ears and eyes like reflected stars.
The fox had one leg lifted, poised to flee. The woman pulled her tattered coat tighter about her as she sat among the leaf-litter.
‘I’m lost,’ said the woman. ‘But I can’t go back. I won’t.’
The fox tilted its head to one side, yipped, and picked up a careful pace.
And through trees and darkening light and desperate hope, it led the woman to her new home.
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Another microfiction for Mastodon. Image by n4pgw, used under Pixabay License.