It was cold. Everything felt cold and dark to him. Even as he sat in the forest in the sunniest patch he could find, Jesse still felt as if he was underground, trapped and afraid. He shivered in the wind, the pleasant autumn breeze still warm enough to be comfortable in, yet he sat there in his thick sweater, knees buried in the fabric.

He used to do this all the time after work. Just go out in the forest and have a quiet walk, find a seat somewhere and feel the energy of the woods. Back then he could sit in the forest for hours, until nightfall or heavy rains forced him back home, and even then he sometimes stayed a bit longer to feel nature seep in his skin. Yet it wasn't giving him any joy anymore. The usual calm and peace he'd feel was gone and only left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

So... this is it. All those years struggling to keep off of the streets, to stay safe and sound. Even as a teenager he had never thought of selling his body, even though it would've given him a lot of cash earlier on.

How Jesse had struggled to handle several jobs at once, going back to a hole riddled and dirty cheap apartment until he finally managed to find a good job at the club and earn enough money for a decent home.

All those years struggling, fighting to save himself for his one true love...

And now he was a whore...

Jesse clenched his eyes shut, spilling tears that clung to his lashes when he blinked. Even after he knew he was safe, at least for now, his body still remembered every single disgusting touch, every caress, every thrust...

If he fell asleep, he'd wake up screaming, kicking his legs and batting at imaginary hands as his body memorized every rancid second in that hellhole.

Footsteps approached softly behind him but Jesse didn't pay them any mind. He knew there were people following him around, hell, all the Deprived had their own little entourage wherever they went.

He vaguely recalled seeing Tristan sprint into the woods, finally allowed to let his wolf free, closely followed by another wolf and a Fae using her magic to keep up with the pair. Other than that, he hardly ever saw the others; they all hid away in their rooms.

The buck beside him stirred, snorting as it pushed itself on its hooves and shook its fur out. Jesse barely blinked as its antlers passed a few inches from his face, the buck slowly picking up speed as it cantered through the trees.

He let out another soft sigh and nuzzled the soft fabric of his clothes. At least they were allowed to have that luxury back again. Just when Jesse stretched out his legs to pushing himself up, he heard the tiniest of pitter-patters approaching.

Jesse crossed his legs loosely, hands resting in his lap as a young fox darted through the woods, chasing the overflying birds. Leaves kicked up as the fox, barely out of the stage of a kit, tripped over a tree root hidden in the foliage and snorted. The little vixen paused and yipped in fright when she noticed Jesse, but when nothing happened she grew curious.

For a second, Jesse assumed the fox could've been Robbie but remembered that Robbie's fur was a more brilliant red and a defined white tip on his tail. This fox, however still beautiful, had a slightly duller color of fur.

She loped closer, sniffing the air attentively as she approached. Jesse could hear more footsteps behind them approaching and stalling as the vixen circled around, sniffing the fabric of his clothes and pressing her damp nose against Jesse's skin.

The kit nipped at his clothes before jumping back, as if expecting Jesse to lash out, but when nothing happened, she grew bolder. The vixen soon started rubbing her shoulder and cheek against every surface she could reach on Jesse, even leaning on her hind legs to sniff and rub at his shoulder.

He didn't move as the fox hopped on his knee, testing her balance and weight as his leg gave way slightly before she hopped in the open spot between his crossed legs. Without any prompting, she circled around for a bit before curling up, tail tucked nicely around her.

Slowly, his fingers reached forwards, allowing the Vixen to sniff and take in his scent before deeming him harmless. She chattered in a friendly way, slightly nipping at his fingers before allowing Jesse to card his fingers through her soft fur.

He could feel her throat rumble happily in response, eyes heavy and nearly closing as he scratched through her fur, feeling the warm skin underneath. He struggled before managing to spark his magic alive, causing any annoying ticks or fleas to drop harmlessly from the fox.

In response, she nuzzled his hand with joy, curling closer so she could rest her head on his thigh to fully enjoy the experience. The soft warmth that seeped through the fabric was soothing, just like the delicate weight of the fox pressing against him.

Jesse heard soft murmurs behind him, paws treading through the crisp leaves until soft fur pressed against his arm. Without looking up, Jesse lifted his arm, brushing his fingers through Robbie's fur while the Vixen in his lap chirped and yipped excitedly.

Obviously it figured Robbie was a true fox like herself, as she nuzzled and sniffed him, batting at his cheek in a playful manner. Jesse's lip pulled up slightly as he watched the pair jump and play around before more footsteps approached, the hairs on his arms and legs standing on end when he saw someone sit down not too far away.

The boy was pale, sickly so, as if he hadn't seen the sunlight for years. Jesse detected a slight trembling in the boy's limbs, as if just sitting upright was providing too much a task to handle. He also noticed the connection between Robbie and the unknown male before his mind pieced the puzzle together.

Robbie twitched and left the vixen when the man hunched forwards, running through the leaves until he could wriggle himself in the man's lap. The man, Robbie's bonded mage, relaxed the second the Kitsune let its magic flow through them both.

A dull ache throbbed in Jesse's chest, the vixen looking up before she hopped once more in his lap, black little paws resting against his chest to press her muzzle against his throat. His scent soured with pain and misery, even if he realized he had managed to save so many.

But who was going to save him?

-*-*-*-*

Behind them, Xavier watched on as the abused mage introduced himself to Jesse with softly spoken words. The kitsune in the boy's lap seemed torn, wanting to stick with his master but also wanting to comfort Jesse's obvious turmoil.

Hell, even after having fed till he felt he'd tear apart, Xavier could still smell the pixie's gut-wrenching pain and sorrow. He could tell from the uneasy shuffling from the guards that they too, could sense Jesse's pain.

It was almost bad enough that they all could feel it.

Jesse's pain was slowly permeating the forest, creeping through the trees as the local wildlife felt the need to come out of hiding to comfort the pixie. Xavier sighed, face withdrawn as he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets.

They were going to have a tough time rehabilitating this Deprived. Xavier could already tell that even with familiar faces around him, the pixie hardly responded and was slipping into a state of catatonia.

Luckily Jesse did react to some impulses and that was what they needed to hold onto. It would be much harder to draw Jesse back from a space where he couldn't physically or mentally respond.

"Any next of kin?" Xavier asked lowly, waiting as Fabian thumbed through the papers before retrieving Jesse's file. The Hell-hound's expression twisted, telling Xavier more than words would. "The only next of kin would be his mother, whom has no contact with her son after she mated and had a family of her own."

Xavier's fangs pricked against his lower lip, anger growing in his gut as he fought back a snarl. What was it with people and dropping kids from past relationships like they were diseased as soon as they found their fated?

"His father??" Xavier was grasping for straws, he knew but if the mother wasn't available, perhaps... "Unknown. We might find out if we do some digging but our databases exclude Elves...something the boy reeks of."

They both shot each other a pointed look before Fabian nodded, reaching for his phone as he walked away. If their databases couldn't reach, the only one that could inform them was Jesse's mother.

Looking back at the file in his hands, he skipped past what had happened to the pixie, knowing he couldn't stomach to read it at the moment. He did however look for any good friends that might be able to pull Jesse out of his stupor before smiling when he found a select few names, including addresses and phone numbers.

It wasn't next of kin... but it was known that sometimes the blood of the covenant ran thicker than the water of the womb. And Xavier had the list ready and a phone in his office waiting to call and reach out for Jesse's friends.

He only hoped it wouldn't backfire on the pixie's progress... But then again, Jesse had already hit rock bottom, the only way they could push, was up.