The Fox

I planted my paws deeper into the mossy ground and raised my hackles, the fox was staring me down, deciding whether or not to eat me. My tail swished back and forth and I hissed, bushing up my fur to appear larger. The fox barked and leaped forward, its paws outstretched. I yowled, skidded to the side, the moss slowing me down. Suddenly a hunter's arrow flew through the air and hit right into the flank of the fox. I yelped and looked around for the human, then I saw it. It was standing upright in the bushes, it started walking towards me, but I wouldn't have any of it. I unsheathed my claws and raced toward the nearest tree. All the while the fox was whimpering on the moss, thrashing around trying in vain to stand up. Apart from me felt bad, but a moment before it had tried to kill me! I attached my claws into the third-highest branch, hiding as well as I could. The human, now without me in sight, headed toward the fox. The poor thing was running out of energy, I knew the human would kill it, go show its stupid friends and I could bear that, so I did a thing that I soon regretted. I leaped, my paw outstretched, and landed unsteadily, right on the human’s head. It made a squealing noise and waved its arms around and then, it started running, which was my cue to leap off of its flailing head, I landed on the mossy ground with a thump and bounded over to the fox, the human had left some weird stuff behind and it smelled sour and yucky. I slowly slunk over to the foxes flank, its cries were softer now, and its legs didn't wave around. 

“Hey not-so-little guy” I whispered to the fox. It whimpered in return. “Please don’t eat me,” I begged. The fox looked at me but did not respond. I grabbed the arrow and tugged on it. The fox let out a short, sharp painful yap. I winced at its pain, and tried again, this time the arrow flew out, its sharp end covered in blood. I flung as far as I could, which was only a couple tail lengths. Then I carefully ripped some moss out of the ground and covered the wound with the soft side, attempting to ease the bleeding. The fox whimpered more.

“It's okay, it's okay” I whispered as I held the moss down with one paw. The fox held its body still, but after a while, it regained its strength. And leaped up, to my surprise.

“Thank you,” it said. 

“Y-you can talk?” I gasped.

“Yes, I was taught to speak several different languages” it smiled.

“W-well what's your name?” I asked the fox.

“My name is Eagle, and I’m a vixen,” she smiled. I nodded.

“Well, why are you out here in the wild? I've never heard of a feral cat” she looked at my black coat with interest. 

“Well, my mother and littermates are back at the camp, I live in a small feral cat community, there are about 10 of us” I answered.

“Hm, I see, but I never caught your name?” she smiled awkwardly.

“Oh right, of course, my name is Belle, I have two littermates, Strom and Snail” I shifted my paws. 

“Hm, all fox names are named after their personality and attributes, your name is a little weird in my opinion, and Snail?” she laughed “What is she really slow?”

‘Well no.. but it's just her name” I said. “There's no real reason,” I shrugged.

“Well, your family must be missing you, you should probably head back” Eagle commented.

I glanced at the sky, it was only sunhigh. “What are you looking at the sky for?” Eagle chuckled

“Uh, for the time! But your right I do have to go” I lied, I was unnerved hanging around the fox. “Are you sure your wound is okay? It looked pretty bad” I mewed, glancing at the cut in her side.

“We have a medicine fox, he’ll be able to help me more” she smiled, which made me more uneasy, given the size of her teeth. 

“Uh, okay! I guess I will see you later, please tell your… friends not to eat us?” she chuckled slightly.

“Of course!” she laughed, “I'll put out a good word,” she turned and started to bound away when her legs gave out and she flopped on the ground.

“Eagle!?” I meowed and darted over to her. She started whimpering and tried to stand but couldn’t. “Eagle are you okay?” She asked worriedly. 

“Yeah I’m fine” she struggled up onto her haunches. “I just need to take it slower” she stood and started limping away. 

“But Eagle! What if something happens to you? What if that hunter comes back!” she mewed. Then, an idea popped into her head. “Eagle…” I whispered. She turned around and looked at me. “My camp is closer.. What if you came there! We have a medicine cat! We can help you, then send you on your way!” I said, my voice getting stronger as I went.

“No, Belle, I can’t just walk into a fox camp, plus my denmates will be worried about me!” she snorted indignantly.

“Please Eagle! You’ll get help quicker, and there's no way that you’ll be able to walk that far on your own!” I begged. 

“Ugh! Fine! You’ll never leave me alone anyway!” she grunted annoyed. 

“Yes! Come on, follow me this way!” I said, excited. 

We padded along quietly and I started hearing the sounds of my friends, so I turned to Eagle.

“Just be careful, they are cats. We are all kinda scared of foxes” I reminded Eagle. She nodded, but I could tell she was annoyed. 

We soon arrived at the camp, and as soon as we were in view the alarm sounded.

“FOX!” Fog yowled and darted into camp. 

“Wait!” I yelped, trying to calm my friends. “Guys! She’s friendly!” I shouted. 

“Friendly! It’s a fox!” Snail hissed from the bushes. Storm emerged from the bush enough for me to see his eyes big and full of fear. 

“Storm, Snail it's okay” I insisted. Snail slunk out and stared at Eagle accusingly. 

“How do you know?” she hissed.

“Because I saved her! She’s a good fox, and she needs help! She got shot with an arrow by a hunter!” she mewed.

“You should've just let her die!” Rain yowled from behind the fallen tree. 

“Wait! No” I started, but everyone was agreeing. 

“Foxes are nothing but filth!” Fog hissed from beside Rain.

“Guys, please help her! Just give her some moss and stuff and she’ll be on her way! I promise!” I stared at my friends and my kin pleading for them to agree.

“Fine” Fern stepped forward. “I will help her, then she will leave” She spoke with a clear voice that I wasn’t used to for the quiet medicine cat. 

“Oh! Thank you” Eagle said and lowered her head down to Fern’s level. 

“Of course” She mewed, in a not-so-pleasant voice. I sighed, they would never understand how nice Eagle really was. But at least she was getting the help she needed.

It was sunset when Fern finally said Eagle was alright, but she would need to rest overnight. So, I made a nest full of bracken and moss and settled Eagle inside of it.

“Will you be okay?” I asked.

“I’m sure I will, Fern is really kind. I’m sure she’ll help me if I need it” she smiled and rested her head on her paws.

“Of course!” she purred and licked Eagle’s forehead. “Goodnight, Eagle” 

“Goodnight” She whispered back.

I woke to the sound of chirping birds, and I exited the den to find Eagle awkwardly conversing with Storm and Snail, who was asking her questions to end. 

“Leave her alone guys” I interrupted them. “I’ll walk you most of the way, up till the place we met, and then you should be fine from there!” I mewed to Eagle when Storm and Snail had left. She nodded and said farewell to the cats at the camp and set off.

“Who could imagine this, a fox and a cat” I mused. Eagle chuckled.

“Well, it’s thanks to you that I’m still alive” she smiled. “Thank you, for saving me” she added after a while. 

“No problem” I smiled.

Soon we arrived at the mossy grove and I stood in the center with Eagle at my side.

“Goodbye Eagle” I mewed.

“Bye,” Eagle sighed “This is such a melancholy moment” she mewed. “Maybe at every half-moon, we meet here” she suggested.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I said.

“Goodbye” Eagle swished her tail over my shoulder and padded through the branches.