42Old Foxes
Chapter Eight: As a Runner
'Old foxes want no tutors.' – Thomas Fuller
I let out a happy noise as I saw Kemp once again entering the forest with Milta hot on his heels; shortly after the death of Bram, Kemp had gotten the guts to truly talk to the young fox and they'd been inseparable ever since. Even Reese had found a mate, even if she was just an untrained pup at the moment. They truly had something special, Reese and Vines; they'd make beautiful kits together.
As for my younger siblings, they were just as fast learners as my brothers and I had been; I'd only been working with them for three weeks and they were already almost ready for their gradings. Caron and Liam were, understandably, very proud of their kits. Caron was actually pregnant again, which means that soon Minto and Revol would need to build a den for themselves to make room for our next batch of siblings. It was good to see so many healthy, intelligent pups being added to the leash, especially since Cathal and the other elders were all but denridden now.
I yawned as I made my way towards the den I shared with only Reese now, as Kemp and Milta had gone as far as to build themselves their own den just last week. I had the sneaky suspicion that Milta was already pregnant with their first litter, but didn't say anything as it hadn't been confirmed yet. I was proud and happy for my brother, though; he deserved a family of his own, and more, even if it meant not having the time to hunt with him anymore.
My sleep was peaceful, until I was woken up by Cathal. "Bella?" I heard his weathered, shaky voice whisper in the darkness, cutting through the silence.
I woke up almost instantly, thinking that he was going to be teaching me something he'd forgotten to before when he'd been passing on the knowledge of how to shift. "Yea?" I yawned, trying not to hit Reese as I made my way out.
"We need to wake the others," he said, frightened. His nearly-blind eyes were wide open, seeing something I had no doubt was not something that was right in front of him. "We need to leave." He was rushed, almost running away, but I stopped him.
"What are you talking about, what's wrong?" I asked, nervous about the situation, looking around me for any sign of something coming. I grew stiff as a bored as he answered me.
"The hunter humans are coming – right now!"
I ran off in an instant, trying to wake up everybody as fast as I could, remembering the clear images I had of the guns and bullets that would kill one of us instantly if we were to get hit by it. Cathal had warned me many times of the humans coming, and all of us knew that when humans were approaching, the only thing you could do was run.
When everyone was awake and made aware of the situation, our carefully protected and structured leash was in chaos. It was mere minutes before we heard the sound of approaching footsteps and voices, and as quick as we could we tried to bolt out of the area, but the humans followed.
"We need to split up!" Liam called out wisely, and everybody did as he said, except for my brothers and I. Even Milta and Vines had already left, heading off into the bush as quickly as possible. Kemp and Reese looked at me though, and I looked back at them.
"I think we should stick together," Kemp said finally. "I don't like the idea of you going off on your own, Bells."
I was about to disagree, but Reese spoke up. "Yea, I don't like it, either; we should stick together."
"No," I said, motioning behind them. "What about Milta and Vines? You should stick with your mates; I'll be fine, and when the coast is clear, all we need to do is find our way back to the den circle. It shouldn't be too hard, not matter how far we run," I reasoned, and reluctantly, they nodded.
"Meet you at the den circle?" Kemp asked, checking, and I laughed hurriedly, hearing the humans approaching steadily.
"I'll be there," I promised, and licked both of them on the ears as they did the same for me. I jumped as I heard a gunshot crack into the air quite close to us, hoping that no one had been hit. I pushed them towards the direction their mates had run in, watching as they left with a sinking heart. Another gunshot rang out through the air, and I saw them both jump through the bushes as it did so.
For some reason, I didn't feel the need to run away anymore, and realized it was because the humans were following my family, and none of them were moving in my direction anymore. But, still, I knew it wasn't safe, and that was proven as more gunshots split through the quiet of the night, and so I turned and bolted, making my way as far from the humans as I could, all the while hoping that the feeling in my gut didn't mean what I think it meant.
It's a little short for a chapter, but it had everything I needed it to say. I apologize for the fact that it was a little more boring than my chapters usually are. Does it make it better to say that I'm writing this while wearing an 'Angry Birds' shirt? I bet it would. This is the last official chapter; only the epilogue is next, and – actually – the epilogue is longer than this chapter is. It ties up the story pretty well, I guess. I always intended it to be short, I'll say again.
Review, please, and remember me.