<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Day 0 – Somewhere</span></span></span><br/><br/>Chapter Theme:<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNI2xy-WJeA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNI2xy-WJeA</a><br/><br/><br/>“Are you sure this is the right place?”<br/><br/>Kai stood nervously at the rusted gate, casting her vacant blue-eyed stare at the old ferry port before her. A thick fog had descended from the overcast sky, swept across the murky sea by the chilly wind to send shivers up the young foxgirl’s body. Scattered across the dirt embankment alongside the main dock, a large crowd of travelers sat huddled against each other, dressed meagerly in old tattered clothing similar to the oversized leather jacket she wore. Another gust came, and she tightened her grip on the hand of the taller fox beside her.<br/><br/>“It has to be,” Rami muttered softly, staring at a pair of tickets in his black-furred hand. “It’s the only port on this side of the bay.”<br/><br/>Shouldering his satchel, he took another step down the muddy road but stopped upon realizing his companion had not moved. It took a second for the smaller fox to break from her reverie, meeting his gaze momentarily before gazing down at the ground and following close behind.<br/><br/>The soft earth was cool and slick against their digitigrade paws as the two vulpines sauntered down the hazy port. The shadowy waters of the ocean began to grow more visible though the haze, stirred up by the salty air rushing over it. As they trotted silently closer to the bay, Rami couldn’t help but glance at the other refugees they passed by.<br/><br/>He was met with a multitude of emotions: sorrow, agony, suspicion, temptation. They were cast from beneath dingy caps and rags wet with the mist, shot at the two new interlopers as they approached. Fortunately, the lanky fox’s cool stare kept these feelings in check, and before long he had walked Kai away from the group towards the railing on the far side of the harbor. Helping the foxgirl take a seat on the moist ground, he soon settled down beside her and leaned his bag against the short sea wall. Below, the splash of the waves against the old stone gave a welcome solace to the otherwise dreary atmosphere.<br/><br/>For the next few minutes, not a word floated between the two foxes as the gazed at the unsteady waters, watching for the first signs of their prospective ferry. However, it wasn’t long before Kai broke the silence.<br/><br/>“Will things really be better there?” she muttered, leaning tiredly against the peeling paint on the metal bars. “I can’t see how.”<br/><br/>“Come on,” Rami replied, putting on a weary grin. “Don’t be like that. Kenta wouldn’t want you to say these kinds of things, wouldn’t he?”<br/><br/>Kai’s expression remained blank beneath the long brown locks of her hair. “No, he wouldn’t. But then again, my brother was always the stronger one.”<br/><br/>At once, the smile dropped off Rami’s face, and he soon turned his muzzle towards the foggy bay. The rushing water, the gentle lapping against the shore, the moist air… They should have reminded him of the river that ran alongside their home village, of the the sunny days the three vulpines spent on its sandy shores playing tag and catching fish and butterflies. But instead, he felt the sting of the fire as it raged through his house, the panic in Kai’s grip as he whisked her out the door. Over his shoulder, he saw Kenta lifted off the ground, the struggling bulges beneath layers of gray fur before they vanished forever. Then he heard the jingle of coins in the small purse he exchanged for the two small slips of paper he now held, two small papers that were supposed to take them into the gray gloom and into a new life…<br/><br/>No. Two small slips of paper wouldn’t make things better. But at least they still had each other…<br/><br/>“Kenta used to tell me,” he began pensively, causing the smaller fox to lift her head up quizzically. “That when things seem bleak you should always think of miracles, because sometimes they might come true.”<br/><br/>He drew his legs up against his chest. “Who knows? From what I’ve heard, it’s such a big city. There are going to be so many people there, and I’d like to think there will people like Kenta to protect us. They must be somewhere in there, standing up against the bad people to keep people like us safe. Heck,<span style="font-style: italic">they might even be in this very group waiting like us.</span>”<br/><br/>Silence fell over the vulpines for a few seconds. Then, for the first time in a long while, a smile crossed Kai’s face. She leaned over and gently nudged her nose against Rami’s cheek. “Figures. You two were always dreamers.”<br/><br/>She turned around and leaned back against him. He folded his arms over her shoulders and wove his fingers between hers. The warmth of her body felt marvelous against his chest. “Maybe,” he whispered softly into her ear.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Maybe…</span>