Play the Fox

Chapter One – Finding Her

With foxes, we must play the fox. – Thomas Fuller

I was the last one in my family to imprint, and when I finally did, it was the most confusing and shocking thing that we have ever come across in our existences.

Before me, my siblings and parents imprints had all made sense. Carlisle had imprinted on Esme, and so he changed her; Alice had seen Jasper in one of her visions, and so set out to find him knowing that they were soul mates. And Rosalie had come across Emmett while hunting and imprinted on him – carrying him hundreds of miles to Carlisle so that he could safely bring Emmett into the land of the undead.

Before finding my soul mate, I had thought of myself as somebody who was just never meant to have a mate. Why else had it taken so long for me to find the one who was supposed to be mine for all of eternity?

The day I did find her, though, was just like any other – my family and I were setting off all together for the first family hunting trip in some time – Carlisle had been working a lot, and we kids had been busy keeping up the charade by attending high school yet again. Esme remained at home, content in only being there to greet us when each of us arrived home. Alice had seen that the remainder of the week was going to be sunny, and so we had planned an excursion together. Not being as interested in travelling or going to see a movie together, hunting seemed like the best bet. Neither of us had hunted in a while.

I was the first one to pick up a scent – it was the most incredible thing I had ever had the joy of coming across. As always, the others allowed me to chase after it, following me at a slightly slower speed so that my instincts wouldn't act up. They followed me for one reason – if there was one animal in this direction, there were most likely more. It seemed like the best bet for finding food.

During the run towards my meal, I had deciphered the scent – it was a common fox. Not a very large, satisfying meal, but I still had a couple of days until we had to start home; I could find better food after now, but until then this scent was all I would be able to think of. I could hear the confusion in my family members' thoughts, knowing they too realized what I was chasing and wondering why I didn't head to find a better meal. They obviously didn't smell just how good it was.

I found the fox in a slight clearing, though it didn't appear as if many animals visited the area very often. The scent was everywhere, though, so I assumed that this was where the fox had made its den – or at least somewhere nearby.

And then I saw her; she was a true beauty. The colours of her fur settled nicely, each different shade complimenting the last. The bit of sun that was shining through the trees caused her to nearly glow, her small, lithe body contrasting perfectly with the dark green tones of the forest. She was standing, looking in my direction – I knew she had probably heard my approach, but was curious as to why she wasn't running; animals had much sharper instincts than humans, so surely she must realize that I was a predator, and she was my prey.

But all it took was one second to change my entire world.

The beautiful fox in front of me moved her head slightly, bringing her vibrant brown eyes to meet my own dark eyes, showing that I hadn't hunted lately. I felt as if the eyes of this perfect creature were looking at every part of my soul, reading my thoughts and memories. I felt as if it were no longer gravity that was holding me to the earth, but it was her – this fox that had just been about to be my meal. She was my entire reason for living, now; there was no way I could even ponder hurting her.

My family had caught up to me, and I could hear their thoughts as they took in my stance – normally, the animal would have already been devoured, especially an animal as small as this fox.

If he doesn't want it..."If you don't want your supper anymore, I'll take it," Emmett spoke, stepping forward into the clearing. The fox snapped her head towards him, and I heard her heartbeat speed up. She looked towards me again, instead of running – her eyes were asking for help. And, of course, I would never have let Emmett touch her in the first place.

"No", I snarled, and before I knew it I was crouched down in front of her, positioning myself so that she was safely behind me and I could watch every member of my family carefully. I never thought the day would come that I would choose a fox over my family, but it apparently had.

"Edward." Carlisle stepped forward, his eyes searching mine. "Are you feeling alright, son?" I've never seen him act this way.

His thoughts stung me, briefly, before I felt something touch my leg. I straightened out of my crouch, and looked down quickly; the fox was rubbing herself against my leg, letting out a soft, contented purring sound. Her tail wrapped around my leg, ensnaring me in her embrace. I smiled at her, unable to help myself; she was perfect.

"I'm fine Carlisle," I laughed at the understatement. "Better than fine; this is the best I have felt in my entire existence."

I leaned down, and much to my family's confusion, gently lifted the fox into my embrace. She turned around, resting her head against my chest and managing to keep her eyes on my family. I shifted her slightly so that I was holding her with my left arm, and used my right to rub around her ears, delighted as she let out another purr.

"Edward, what are you doing?" It was Alice who asked now. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and visions, trying as hard as she could to see the answer for herself. She couldn't understand anything that she was seeing, though her visions seemed to center around the fox.

"I'm holding my imprint in my arms." I whispered, immediately looking up to gather my family's expressions.

Well, this story was completely random, I know. And, don't worry; there is no bestiality in this story. It will be explained better later, maybe in the next chapter. And don't expect very long chapters – I won't be writing as much in chapters as I have for my other stories.

Review please, and let me know what you think – I'll try to answer any questions you might have.

Remember me.