Description

Series: Book 1 in the Tail of the Stray series

Rating: Not rated

Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Furry

Summary

At five years old, Velrik is torn from Vaelwyn by raiders and sold into slavery. The last piece of clothing from home is ripped from his body. A collar takes its place.

For five years, he is property — an exotic curiosity to be displayed, corrected, and forgotten by a lord who sees him as less than sapient. When freedom finally comes, it arrives not as rescue but as a stinging reminder: this world was never meant for him.

Montressa doesn't want him. Its streets are built for humans, and the word Aberrant follows him like a shadow. But the others freed alongside him refuse to scatter. They become his family — the kind who look out for one another when no one else will.

Under the guidance of a master rogue, Velrik grows from a frightened kit into something sharper. He learns to navigate the city's underbelly, to trust the weight of a blade in his hand, and to carve out a place in a world that would rather he disappear. For six years, it almost feels like home.

 

Then everything falls apart. Velrik is forced to flee the only family he had left — alone once more, with blood on his hands and nowhere left to run.

 

⚠️ This story contains themes of slavery and captivity, violence, trauma, and loss. While the tone is melancholic at times, this is ultimately a story about resilience and survival.