"So, what are your names?" After the three foxes were given time to cope with what they didn't know I had accidentally done, I followed them as they ran in the same direction they were headed before.
"Quiet! We need the element of surprise." The suspicious one still would not stop glancing at me every few seconds. I am fairly certain that the only reason why he believed my story at all was because at the time I probably still smelled like a human somewhat even though my species was changed.
The smaller of the three fox pups who seems to be the one trying the hardest to keep up with the speed we are going runs next to me. "Our parents named me Benjamin but I prefer Ben. As you can see I was the last and the runt of the litter." His voice is almost in a whisper seeming like he is trying to not let the others know what he is saying. "The suspicious one is my older brother Jacob and my eldest brother Samuel is the one leading us."
"It's nice to meet you all Ben, my name is Charlie." I want to try to get on their good side if I'll be trying to help them until they leave their den. Hey, maybe I'll like being a fox and end up wanting to stay there. "Charlie is a really nice name, I like your eyes too." That really makes me wonder what I look like now. I never even got the chance to look at my new self since everything happened.
I take a good look at the eldest fox, Samuel. He seems like a standard fox in all ways. His fur is orange with a slightly bushy tail at his back. His front legs are black as coal and his hind legs are a brown similar to the bark of a tree. His underside is white and his eyes are round and as black as his front legs.
The middle pup, Jacob, looks almost the exact same but it looks as if the tip of one of his ears is missing. "Ben, what happened to his ear?" Looking at Ben, one can easily tell that he is the runt of the three. His entire coat of fur is still orange but looks a bit pasty. His front legs are black like his brothers' but his hind legs are the same color as the rest of his fur as well as his underside. His eyes are also the same color as his brothers'. Of course, he still has a bushy albeit small tail.
"He doesn't like to talk about it but that's the reason he is always suspicious. He was once a lot more trusting when he was way younger. I should just leave it at that I can't do this to him. When you get to know him he's really nice and he might tell you the story himself."
"I understand." I return my focus to running with my thoughts swirling. I never have to go back to civilization. I became a fox so I should be able to eat food raw and not have the usual consequences. Maybe my tastes have changed and it will actually taste good. What do I look like? Ben said he liked my eyes but what does that mean? I separate slightly from the three of them.
"J, what do I look like?" "You look like a fox." "I get that but what is different about me compared to a normal fox?" "You were a human, you died, and you are from a separate world. Need I go on?" "J, you know what I mean!" "Ugh, you're eyes change colors every few minutes, it's always random but colors repeat, there's only so many until getting into the shades and tints but then the colors are way too similar to each other. The color when they first saw you was purple and currently it is red." "Why didn't you tell me this would happen before?" "Trust me, it was happening long before you became a fox."
"Who are you talking to? I thought I told you to be quiet?" Jacob is glaring at me while running. I mumble a sorry before staying silent until they decide we've found something to munch on.
It doesn't take very long as they had already been chasing those weasels before I showed up. I figured we had caught up to them when Samuel slowed to a stop behind a bush. The other two had also already gotten behind the bushes while I was left wondering if I should try to help.
I will need to know how to hunt if I am going to stay this way. I decide to follow Ben to his bush and look through just as the others are doing. Luckily I am able to make no sound so as to make sure to not startle the weasels and ruin the hunt. In a small space between bushes, I see the six weasels from before. "The confusion is back!"
"On the count of three we each pounce on a weasel." I hear Samuel giving everyone directions. One weasel doesn't seem like a lot of food, maybe I should get one as well. Though, how am I supposed to know which one to try to grab? I could try to jump in after them but then the rest of them would have already left. I'll just have to try my best.
"One, two, three!" Ah! He counted way too fast. By the time I had registered those three numbers, the others had already gotten theirs and the other weasels had run away. In the end, I am empty-handed. "Damn."
"Hey." A weasel is thrown at my side. "I usually try to catch two in case Ben doesn't manage to grab one." I look at the leader of this pup pack to see he had another weasel with him. Ugh, now I feel bad. "Thank you."
While everyone starts digging in on their meal, I hesitate. I really hope this won't taste disgusting. I look to the others to see what part of the weasel I should start munching on. My eyes widen when I see they all have bloody snouts but I guess that would be normal for them. They are all already halfway finished with their meal so I turn my attention back to the dead weasel. It seems like he crushed the head of the thing. How is that even possible? I tentatively take a bite of the abdomen.
My first thought is that the fur doesn't taste very good. I am probably able to skin the animal before I eat it, I'll try that next time. The texture of the skin though is similar to a steak. The taste is similar too I guess. Non-cooked steak is just meat after all. This meat, however, is very chewy. If it weren't for my teeth being sharper now, I don't think I would even be able to chew through this.
Next on the list of the body would be the inside. Ugh, I feel like throwing up. There is, of course, the intestines, the heart, lungs, and everything else. I decide to start with the intestines. I take a chomp on it and it splits so I slurp it into my mouth like spaghetti. It doesn't take long for all of it to disappear since weasels are smaller than a fox by a fairly great amount.
I look back over to the other three to see one on lookout, one impatiently waiting and glaring at me, and one with his head tilted. "Are you not going to finish eating Charlie?" How did they all already finish? Am I that slow or was I hesitating too much? "No, I've had enough, you can have it if you want." I step to the side and allow Ben the rest of the meal.
"This particular meat isn't exactly my favorite anyway." Even though I try to keep my talking to myself as quiet as I can, I feel as if Jacob always knows when I'm talking. "Foxes are omnivores you know." Oh, thank god. "I prefer berries anyway." I made sure I was loud enough this time so they could hear my preference. I did not want to say that I liked cooked meat because I don't know how Jacob would react when the only species that truly knows h u hi g ow to make fire is humans.
"Well, you may have to leave your comfort zone with us because we all like meat more than we do those plants." Jacob must have really had a traumatic experience if he doesn't even trust his own species. "It's fine, she will just have to gather her own food. We will just lend her the shelter of our den for now." Thanks to Samuel, I may not even have to attempt to hunt again, I could just stay safe and eat all the berries I need.
"Come on, let's go back to the den." I look back over to see that Ben is already done and ready to go. When I turn again, Samuel has already left. I run along with them. It doesn't take long for us to get back to where their parents are. Now would probably be a good time to have a ceremony or whatever foxes do for this kind of thing. Except they don't move, they are just looking at them. Before I could raise a question there was a "Goodbye" followed by two more from the younger two. Then, they just continued.
A little while after night falls, the three foxes stop and I with them. "Why'd we stop" "Do you really think foxes live in natural caves?" I look around and see nothing out of the ordinary. After giving me a sideways glare, Jacob enters a small hole in the ground seemingly barely large enough for his body. "Oh." Ben quickly follows.
Before I manage to attempt at fitting into the hole, Samuel steps in between. "Look, I don't exactly know who you are, but I do know that you lied." Uh oh. Does he know? "I'm not sure what it was but if I find out you're putting one or both of my brothers in danger, you'd better watch yourself." He's kind of scary. "I understand. Thank you for giving me shelter." He promptly slips into the hole.
"You do realize foxes only go into their dens when someone in the pack is pregnant or in infancy or during mating. Otherwise, they just sleep out in the open." "How do they stay warm then?" I notice a slight breeze and I shiver. "They curl up into a ball and use their tails as blankets." I can imagine that it would be very cute to see.
Knowing that I could be in for a treat erases Samuel's threat from my mind and I step towards the den and squeeze through the hole in the ground. "That was easier than I expected." "An adult fox can pass through a hole 10 centimeters in diameter."
The foxes' den isn't large but it is enough for the four of us to fit. Of course, the place is void of any decorations since there really is no need. I see the three foxes staring at me, each already curled up. It is indeed cute. I also see room empty space next to Ben so I walk over, lie down and curl up.
After I guide my tail to be my blanket, I notice I end up facing Ben directly in his face. "I hope you enjoy your time with us, Charlie. We're going to have a lot of fun!" I hear a grumpy mumble from the other side of the den but decide to ignore it. "I'm sure we'll have loads of fun." Honestly, I think its guaranteed that I will have a better time with these three than I would have if I was still with my classmates.
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