Humankind has long since perished.
But life goes on.
Nature is slowly reclaiming the planet. A fire forces a young red fox named Kip to flee her den for the first time. Now alone and left half-blind, Kip must struggle to find refuge for herself and...
Her heart sank when she caught sight of a horrid animal in the water. Kip stopped drinking, and the pool's surface stilled, giving her a better look at her reflection.
She sagged her shoulders at the sight. Kip was not a beautiful creature. Her left orb of an eye was scarred pure white like a full moon. She'd grown lanky and long-limbed. And her pelt was patchy and thin. It certainly wasn't plush enough to keep her warm for the upcoming Winter. She shivered just looking at herself.
Something dripped in the pool from above, making all the tadpoles hide amongst the old coins at the bottom. Red spirals spread through the water like red ink. Kip looked up to the tree branches. The twisted carcass of a whitetail deer stared back—a leopard's kill.
Kip's heart pounded. She pivoted her ears. The leopard wasn't around. It had left its meal unguarded for her to take. The fox couldn't believe her change of luck!
It was an easy leap from the marble lip of the fountain to the tree's roots, and a dangling hooved limb was an easy reach for the scrawny fox. Kip braced herself against the tree's trunk with her good forepaw and stood on her hind legs, grabbing the deer's leg in her fangs.
Tearing the limb from the carcass, however, was a challenge for the starved creature. And she practically dangled from it while trying to tear the limb away.
"I'd be quicker than that, if I were you."
Kip almost lost her grip on her meal in surprise at the voice. With her mouth full, she twisted as best she could to get a look at the intruder.
A silver fox sat up on the edge of the fountain with the plushest tail Kip had ever seen on a fox wrapped daintily around his forepaws. The huge snowball of the white tip of his tail bounced against marble while he observed her.
Kip froze—caught red-pawed. This fluffy fox's scent matched all the markers. Yet he didn't make a move to challenge her. Instead of flashing his fangs, he tilted his head to the side in curiosity at the weird dangling fox. His orange eyes glimmered in amusement. A smirk spread across his dark muzzle.
"I—Ehm..." Kip uttered around a mouthful of fur. "Is i' ohay ib I 'ake this?"
The silver fox squinted and cocked his head to the other side, making his ears flop about. "What?"
Kip spat out her morsel and pressed her burning ears flat against her head sheepishly. She pointed a paw at the limb.
"Is it okay if I take this?" It'd been a while since she'd last spoken. She hadn't seen her own kind in some time.
"Well, your mouth already touched it. Be kinda gross to give it back at this point."
Kip didn't need to be told twice. She turned back to her dinner and wrapped her jaws around it, giving the deer's leg another shake to dislodge it.
"Besides," continued the male as he scratched at an ear with a hind paw. "That's not my kill, anyway. You'd have to ask the—"
Both foxes yipped when the entire tree lurched under the weight of something heavy landing on it from above. Kip's eyes swiveled to the tree-top. Her blood ran cold.
The leopard had returned to its meal to find a scruffy fox thief with its dinner in her mouth. The enormous cat hissed, brandishing fangs larger than Kip's head. Its rank breath ruffled the fur of her face. Muscles bunched beneath its sleek, spotted hide.
In a panic, Kip ripped the limb away from the deer just as the cat pounced. The fox cleared the pool in a single bound. Her bad leg ached from overuse. Fortunately, the plush coat of the silver fox cushioned her landing.
The two foxes landed on the tiled floor in a tangled heap. The leopard landed with a thunderous thud a tail's length away, its claws leaving behind jagged gashes across the floor. It reared its head back and unleashed a roar that made every animal in the jungle scurry for cover.
"Run!" cried the silver fox as he dashed away.
"Mm-hm!" agreed the red fox with her mouth full. She hobbled after the male's tail toward the exit of the mall with the enormous roaring beast in hot pursuit.
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