Nari dashed through the park, her feet barely touching the ground. No need to look back—she already knew the dogs were gaining on her. Of all times! It had been such a wonderful evening, unexpectedly warm for mid-autumn. The dry, fallen leaves rustled playfully in the grass, crunching with her every step, and for some reason, the air smelled like spring. She had wanted to sing and twirl, rustling the leaves, and Nari began to dissolve into the wild darkness. She ran, picking up speed, breathing deeply, completely forgetting about caution... until she came face-to-face with two massive shepherds. The dogs skidded to a halt, frozen in their tracks. A tense silence fell as they stood staring at Nari, and she returned their gaze. They might have gotten away with it, if not for a small mutt yapping nearby. Nari flinched, recoiled, and instantly became prey. The dogs lunged, ripping their leashes from the weak hands of their oblivious owner, and bolted after Nari in unison. She spun around and took off. The desperate shrieks of the useless woman rang out through the deserted park; the barking grew closer, and terror drove her to the brink of madness. Almost. She couldn't lose her grip. She couldn't run aimlessly, circling the park or the courtyards. This pair of predators would corner her in no time—and worse yet, what if the semi-wild pack from the nearby construction site joined the chase? No, she had to make a break for the veterinary clinic. It was nearby, open twenty-four-seven; they knew her there, and they would help. Nari ran. Her muscles were on the verge of tearing, her paws aching as they pounded against the ground. Grass, path, asphalt. Slipping between the wrought-iron bars of the fence, she silently thanked every god that she hadn't gotten stuck. A narrow street, where a budget car crawled along. In three bounds, she cleared its bumper in the blinding glare of the headlights—and forward, forward, toward the bright, glowing sign of a smiling cat. Behind her, brakes screeched, followed by two heavy impacts. The car had managed to stop, but the dogs hadn't; running at full speed, they slammed into the white flank of the steel beast. One dog yelped, whimpering in pain, but the second pressed on with the chase. Nari had gained only a dozen fleeting moments... but that was enough. She tumbled down the steps into the basement level, burst through the open door, and hurled her entire weight against the emergency button. A metal grate slid out from the side, sealing the doorway just a hair’s breadth from the dog’s snout. The shepherd erupted into a furious bark of sheer frustration. Panting heavily, Nari dragged herself to the restroom and pressed her forehead against the cold blue tiles of the wall. She straightened up and looked at herself in the mirror. A fine sight she was, indeed. Pale, her red strands damp with sweat and plastered to her sharp, pointy face, her lips trembling. Her hands were shaking, too. She turned on the ice-cold water and drank straight from the tap, then spent a long time washing her face and scrubbing her scratched palms. When the sounds of a sobbing woman, barking, and whimpering drifted in from the corridor, Nari tore off a length of paper towel, dried herself, and headed to the staff room. She needed to throw on a white coat and douse herself in deodorant to mask the smell of wet dog before going out to assist the on-duty vet—a weretiger. "Man, look at that redhead go!" the taxi driver said, replaying the dashcam footage and admiring the running Nari. "Gorgeous," the passenger agreed. "Sleek, agile, just hugging the asphalt. She flew right in front of us." The driver wasn't too upset about the couple of small dents on the door and didn't even give the dog owner a hard time. The woman was terrified enough as it was, examining the whimpering shepherd, crying, and apologizing... Well, these things happen. The men even helped carry the injured dog to the veterinary clinic just across the street. Before leaving, they advised the poor woman to muzzle the dogs and walk them one at a time, or together with her husband. They were lucky today and no one got hurt, but what if next time a dog gets hit by a car, or the owner falls and breaks her arm... anything could happen. And there surely would be a next time, now that a cheeky, fearless fox had taken up residence in the park.