Tail of the Stray - Tail of the Stray, #1

The first book in a dark, character-driven epic fantasy series — for readers of Robin Hobb, Brent Weeks, and Anthony Ryan.

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 that this world was never meant for him.

Montressa is a city of humans, and to them a vulpin like Velrik is only ever Aberrant — a word that follows him through every street. But the people freed alongside him refuse to scatter, and in the years that follow, he finds something he never dared hope for: a family, a craft, and a fragile life carved out of a world that would rather he didn't exist.

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 make himself someone too useful to throw away. For six years, it almost feels like home.

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