Lyra stood trembling in the middle of the street, her stained old t-shirt, battered pants, and faded cap the only things shielding her from the cold.
Even the fur of her tail was tangled and dirty.
The only comfort in her state was that, thanks to the cap, she could hide her ears, just as she could awkwardly tuck her tail into her pants.
'At least this way no one will recognize me,' thought Lyra, letting out a weary sigh.
She walked unsteadily through the bustling city streets, feeling insignificant before the skyscrapers.
The exhaust from the cars made her dizzy, her senses overwhelmed by the stench and the constant clamor.
She stumbled into several people, weak from hunger.
At that moment, she crossed paths with a woman, a human, not a Feral like herself.
The woman crouched down to her level, a worried look on her face as she took in Lyra's malnourished and exhausted expression.
"Sweetie... Are you okay?" asked the woman, extending a hand to help her.
Lyra flinched, raising an arm to shield herself, only to realize that, with her feral traits hidden, the woman mistook her for a human.
It was then, peering closer at Lyra, that the woman frowned, as if she'd just noticed something odd in her eyes.
Then her face twisted, a mix of hatred and disgust.
"Are you...?" The woman reached out suddenly, trying to snatch Lyra's cap.
But the Feral, using the speed typical of her fox kind, dodged with a quick tilt of her head and a short leap back.
The woman in front of Lyra turned red with fury, her suspicions confirmed.
"Damned animals!" she muttered, stepping close to Lyra, shoving her. "You all killed my father in your stupid war... Get out of our world!"
Her shouts drew the attention of everyone around, a nearby group of elders staring at Lyra with a contempt she recognized from those who'd fought in the war.
She felt her tail bristle inside her pants, while her eyes darted nervously, searching for a way to escape.
More than twenty people watched her intently, some with fear, others with mockery, all with hatred. Some even pulled out their phones, recording her.
Though Ferals were widely known, seeing one without a control collar so close to the city, far from their kind's commune, was rare.
This didn't seem to sit well with the humans, most of whom chose to live in major cities precisely to avoid Ferals.
Then, Lyra heard someone in the crowd ignite a spark among the onlookers.
A man, spurred by the sight of the woman before Lyra, distraught and crying, screaming about the memory of her parents lost in the war, shouted:
"She's a thief! Grab her!"
'What...? That's not true! I haven't stolen anything yet!' thought Lyra, trying to grasp the illogical reasoning of these people.
Yes, Lyra was a thief, but they didn't even know that yet!
Lyra went on alert, watching as the people around her slowly closed the circle, trapping her.
Desperate and offended by the accusation, Lyra resolved to escape—humans were far slower and weaker than she was, after all.
Besides, with so many people watching and tracking her movements, she couldn't steal anything now.
She crouched, placing both hands on the ground, bracing to run.
At that moment, one of the humans, the one who'd called her a thief, tried to kick her, but with a single push, she dodged effortlessly.
She weaved through the crowd without even brushing against them, sprinting straight across the street and using a car as a springboard to reach the other side of the sidewalk.
They all stared, slack-jawed, stunned, though it was common knowledge that Ferals had superior physical abilities compared to humans, the agility of Fox Ferals went even further.
Though Lyra didn't much like this, as she'd have preferred the brute strength of Bear Ferals or the balanced mix of power and speed of the wolves.
'Still... Seeing this always brightens a bad day,' thought Lyra, smirking arrogantly, relishing the stunned faces of the fools before her.
"Hey, you!" a deep, almost growling shout rang out in that moment.
Lyra turned toward the sound, feeling her tail bristle again inside her pants, as if warning her of danger.
A Wolf Feral, with dark gray fur on his tail and ears, raced toward her at full speed.
He wore a black uniform, dark pants, and a bulletproof vest. Around his neck was a metallic control collar with a police badge at its center.
"Stay where you are!" the wolf shouted again.
Lyra spun around, starting to run, dodging as much as she could to flee the scene, but she was already too exhausted.
Days without food, sleeping in alleys or hidden corners, had weakened her. And, to make matters worse, she'd spent so much energy escaping the humans earlier.
'I shouldn't have shown off...' Lyra grumbled to herself, breathing heavily, feeling her muscles burn from all the running.
Under normal conditions, escaping the relentless Wolf Ferals was already tough; trying it at a disadvantage was simply impossible...
Finally, exhausted, Lyra collapsed to the ground, rolling several meters into a desolate, dead-end alley that reeked of garbage and dead rats.
The wolf approached, his fangs jutting from his mouth, his red eyes locked on her, as if just realizing something.
"I was wondering what fool had pissed off a bunch of humans... But look who it is!" Robber mocked, chuckling, nudging Lyra's body with his foot to get a better look at her face. "Did you know the boss is offering $50,000 for your head? You really messed up this time."
Lyra clenched her teeth in frustration, feeling cornered and drained.
'After months of constant hunger and sleeping in alleys, is this how I'll get caught?' she thought.