The Red Fox (Part-1)

The Red Fox (Part-1)

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By Eindra's Story Corner

He was sitting on a rock near the stream. Its fur was like a fading ghost. With its smoky body, he leaped down the rock and stepped onto the water. Since he was a spirit that turned into a ghost now, he couldn’t touch anything. Instead of his feet splashing the water, it was just like a smooth surface for him. Flames were no harm to him. Thorns don’t feel like anything either. Floods can’t drown him. It could not be harmed at all. He did not breathe air, eat meat, or drink water like every animal in the forest would. It did not have the flesh of an animal or the smell of an animal. His spirit was just like the wind that had shaped him to a barely solid ghost. It had its same red fur like the one he was born with. His fur was the colour of red blood from a fox. 

He was no harm to any animal or human in the world. He just makes his way and watch as the animals catch their prey and as the humans grow up to and overcome their ambition. He though had an advantage to be known that he was there. He could slip into any living thing’s dream or thoughts. Even though he couldn’t touch anything he was proud of whom he was. Any animal in the forest could not be like him. Though he was a ghostly spirit before he was like this he was a taunted red little fox.

It was his first day out as a kit. He could not hear or see anything. But he could feel the warmth of his mother beside him. He at first never knew the sounds of the forest nor how it looked like. He could smell and feel his mother curling around them to make him feel her warmth. By the smell of it, he knew that he wasn’t the only one. It felt like he could only feel his mother’s warmth. And that was all he cared about.

The day seemed to drag by for the little kit as the sun went down. He had never seen the bright yellow sun or the shining white moon before. He did not seem to care about the wonders he was going to discover ahead of him. A soft breeze of the wind hit his nose with another scent that was a fox. He cautiously drug into his mother’s fur not knowing that this fox was his father. The second fox was holding something in his mouth which the tiny red fox never smelled before. He could smell the scent coming nearer to them and he was afraid something bad might happen. 

Nothing did. The other fox scent was now just by his mother. He dropped the animal that was unfamiliar to him and stayed there. He could feel his mother’s tail swished to his side and push him closer to her. Then he felt something touch his head. He could still smell his mother’s scent there and no other more. He relaxed and curled around her to feel her warmth again.

The days went on. The little red fox seemed to grow bigger and know his surroundings. He also felt close to the other fox and treat him as close as his mother. He could also see and hear as he grew up with his small family in the woods. They still seemed like kits with a layer of fur on them. When he could see for the first time, he saw his mother’s orange pelt curling near him. He turned his head sideways to see the other tiny foxes that he could know as his brothers. They too had the colour of their mother’s fur. He rested his muzzle on his mother’s fur with his green eyes looking up to her. She flashed back a look of pride with her yellow eyes to him. Then he lay down and tried to get up again. He wanted to see what his brothers were up too. He tried to steady his paws to bring himself to stand up and walk to them. But he kept slipping down and he yipped in exhaustion. His mother had heard him and nudged him to his feet as he tried again. 

He stood up as steady as he could. His mother was supporting him not to lose his balance as his dad walked into the den. He was carrying a body of something white with long ears in his jaws. He walked toward his father to greet him with his mother at his side watching him step by step as he slowly went to him. His father nodded with joy and touched noses with his dark green nose. Then he patted to the edge of the cave and dropped the lifeless body onto the ground. He sat down beside it looking at his two brothers fighting playfully.  

The red fox walked more confidently on his own now and patted over to his brothers. They were fighting wildly and roughly that he had to back away from them as they fall by his side. His mother was walking over to join his father and was yipping some words to him. He felt like he was alone. His mother and his father seemed like a pair and his two brothers were definitely a pair. Why wasn’t he coping like them? His brothers stopped and stared at him. He didn’t know what was going on but when he twisted his head he saw his fur colour was as red as the blood of his own kind. His tail was a glint of green on the white and red shade. His ears twitch with tense building up in his body and in his mind. He did not look the same as his brothers and his parents had been. No wonder they weren’t really treating him the same. 

Even though part of his mind wanted to see how he really looked like. He had too many things to worry now that he knew this. What if they kicked him out of the den? His mother must have seen the tense building up in his eyes. She sat right next to him curling his tail beside him. This made him relax a bit. 

His brothers had turned away from him and were peeking out of the cave. The little red fox was relief by the thought of his brothers will not bother him for a while. He lay down beside his mother as he had when he was a tiny kit. He hoped his mother would be on his side when his brothers would do something to him. His father had walked up to his brothers and were telling them how they would have to hunt like him soon. His brothers pile on him to listen their eyes gleaming in the moonlight. They would soon all be able to see the trees, leaves, and other animals and everything else that awaits them.

It was just a few more days when one morning their father had woken them up early. Their mother was still sleeping he paws at her muzzle snoring softly. “We’re going outside today.” announced with a whisper. His two other brothers scrambled to their paws. They look up at him with wide excited eyes. The red fox shifted his paws and hesitated. He looked up at this dad who was looking at his brothers admiringly. 

He nervously peeked out of the den. The sun was shining very brightly through the entrance of the burrow. His father gazed out of the den and said “I need to give you names so that if you’re a good hunter everyone will know your name.” By these words, one of his brothers gave an impatient yip to his father. His father sat down eyeing the three foxes. Then he raised his right paw and placed it beside on of his brothers. “You’ll be called Rocky.” he told the orange little fox. Then he turned his gaze resting on the red fox. Then he turned back to his other brother and raised his paw again.

“You’ll be called Hunter.” he told him. He turned his head to see the red fox. His father took a deep breath. “You’ll have the title as red fox.” He yipped with a tone of disbelief. Red fox stared at him. This meant like he would have no name for the rest of his life. His father drew back his paw to his side again and said “My name is Todd and your mother’s name is Felix.  We are one of the best hunters in the forest. You may use these to defend yourselves but you must keep our names high.” Rocky glared at him. His eyes were burning with hatred as he stared at his odd red fur. “Better not use their names just to defend yourself, Red fox.” he gekkered under his breath so only red fox could hear. 

Red fox ignored him wanting to prove himself an equal fox he jumped near the mouth of the burrow and lashing his tail from side to side to show that they should go now. His father nodded and patted out of the burrow Red fox following right behind him.  

To be continued...

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