Fox

Chapter One

Run.

Wet leaves slapped her in the face as she hurtled across the forest floor.

They are close...

The water in her fur seemed to drag her down, and she gasped for breath. One of her paws slipped on a sodden leaf, and she tumbled to the ground. The young fox hit the earth rolling, sprang back up, and continued to sprint towards her goal.

And coming closer.

A eerie howl splits the quiet rustlings of the forest. Echoing calls answer ominously. They were near, and Isa certainty didn't think they sounded friendly.

Watch out.

A shadow broke away from the darkness of the trees, lunging for Isa. More followed, surrounding her. There were flashes of pearly white teeth as the foxes bared their fangs, snarling. Dodging their slashing claws, Isa managed to land a kick on one of their snouts before she squeezed through them and bolted.

"Almost there," she whispered, sweat dripping from her flanks as well as raindrops.

Isa ducked, and teeth closed around where her neck had been moments before. Isa stuck out a hind leg and swept it under her opponent, leaving them on the ground. Pounding once at his chest with her forelegs, Isa scrambled away.

Claws snagged on her bushy tail and dragged her close. Isa promptly smacked the offender hard on his nose with the back of her skull. Yelping, the fox let go. Growling in annoyance, she bit him and fled to the base of a cluster of towering rocks.

They stood tall and proud, staring imposingly down at her. Their sides were lined with cracks and chips. They shone wetly in the bright sunlight that drifted through the mist. They seemed to be saying, Oh, look at that silly little fox. She actually thinks she can climb us! Ha, as if.

"Oh, yeah?" Isa muttered, eyeing the rocks. "We'll see about that."

Planting her feet, Isa leaped onto the first boulder. her claws dug into the stone as she made her way up. She stretched for another hold, and another. Within seconds, she was at the top. Giving herself a good shake to rid the dampness from her fur, the fox turned to look down at the others, who were hissing and spitting furiously. Eyes shining as she spun and pranced in circles, she felt the warm sunlight catch her bright reddish-orange fur. Isa screamed in triumph.

"Moon-cub!" called one of the foxes, his words dripping with venom. "The moon-cub won. What a joke. Bet your luck'll run out if you came down here and fight me." He scoffed and shook out his deep russet fur, as if even the thought of Isa beating him was absolutely ridiculous. She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she said, casually flicking her tail from side to side. Shooting him a smile, she added, "This isn't, after all, the first time I've bested you guys."

"At what? Running away?" Cinder smirked, eyeing Isa up and down. "The rest of us prefer to stay and fight our battles."

Isa barked a laugh. "Tell me one thing you've actually fought before, besides dandelion fluff."

Cinder only gekkered in response. A snort came from behind him, and the fox cub whipped around to glare at the one who even dared to find Isa's comeback even a little amusing. The offending golden fox stepped forward, pale green eyes twinkling.

"It's only a game, Cinder." Piri said with a teasing eye-roll. He was the kind of cub who seemed to have a permanent grin stuck to his face, and always sounded as if he was joking. If Isa didn't look too hard (or down at his feet instead of his face), she would never have noticed he had five toes on each paw instead of four. It was easy to forget that this cub, who looked nothing like her whatsoever, was her half-brother. "Lighten up. Isa's fun to chase. I mean, who else do I go to if I want a foot to the face?" He playfully rubbed his snout as if someone had kicked him kind of hard right about there. Piri grinned at Cinder, who huffed grouchily and stalked away.

"Sorry about that," Isa said sheepishly. With that, she slid off the rocks and onto the long green grass. Fallen leaves were scattered here and there, trees stood in every direction, their feathery canopies allowing only the perfect amount of sunshine in. There was a misty feel in the air, cool and calming. Not even foxes like Cinder could drown her good mood.

The other cubs began to recede into the dark of the forest, looking for something else to do further out within the tribe, though only a pawful of fox cubs --- including Isa --- had been to the very edge or seen the rushing blue waters of the river that signaled the end of their territory. The boulders marked the center of their tribe's domain, and the river split and looped widely around to create the borders. This section of the forest was like their own, beautiful island. It was home.

"So," Piri yipped, and Isa looked at him. His twin emeralds for eyes were ever-sparkling, as usual. "Wanna play another game?"