Tale of Panthera Regina (Remake)

Chapter 4: Lost

Credits to the Dragonrider on Kadupul's drawing and for writing this chapter.

POV: (Kadupul)

Hidden deep within the forest borders. In the middle of Darwin's Foxes territory lived a Rex Fox and her daughter. They lived in the hole in the ground but were often called a cave because the floor was not dirt but stone.

A fox's nose poked from her room and yawned. She went over to greet her mother in the kitchen-like area where they often eat food. Her mother was a Red Fox that had adopted her after her parents passed away.

Adopting one's species is not uncommon but still considered rare. Even rarer is when a creature adopts an animal that is outside its family group or predator or prey that is opposite of its own. However, before the pup was even born. Queen Roseis had placed a Law that protects orphans of any creature, regardless of being herbivore or carnivore. There was a rumor over in the next territory. A Fallow Deer had adopted a wolf pup after his mother was killed in a storm.

*Yes, Kadupul felt lucky that her mother took her in.* She thought as she looked at the red fox's beautiful silky fur.

Her adoptive mother wasn't even native to this area but was close friends with her parents. So, after their death, she was the only one willing to take Kadupul in as no one else would. One day, she would return her kindness.

Kadupul sniffed the air and smelled something sweet. She also heard a slight thud as if the vixen was putting something down gently as if she was organizing them. So, she decided to help her mother out without being asked. She took the time to feel each berry to ensure what type it was and not to get them confused. Kadupul learned that her mother had raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. She even felt the roughness of the chestnuts as gently picked them up and used her sense of touch to figure out what it was.

After about an hour, she realized that she was posted to meet her friends. So, her mother thanked her and hugged her.

"Bye, mom. I gotta go!" Kadupul barked at her mom, rushing out of the hole-like cave. She didn't want to be completely rude, but her mother knew where and who she was hanging out with some of her friends.

Kadupul felt the rough stone turn into the dirt as she made her way to the exit. She knew she was out of her home when her paws touched the grass, which was soaked from the morning dew.

"Be careful!! Watch out for STRANGERS!!" Her mother yelled, probably still sorting the berries. Her warnings had echoed through the cave but not as well due to the dirt walls. However, she had excellent hearing, so it was no problem to make out what her mother had said.

Kadupul was indeed a Darwin's Fox, a type of fox that was too near extinction due to Alba Men hunting down the foxes for pelts when they first invaded the island. She has a fuzzy gray coat that had sprinkles of orange, white, and black with a white underbelly. Her eyes were milky white due to her being born blind, but her sense of smell and hearing made up for it.

She raced out into the forest, listening to see if she would accidentally bump into anyone as she made her way towards her sculk (pack), which consists of pups around her age. As a result of the mass hunting, Darwin's Foxes number was still tiny compared to other species of fox.

The Queen had given their species protection until their numbers became more stable. This meant no hunting of the species within their home territory as well as many other nearby predator territories. Thus the adults of the sculk often left the pups around the age of 7 and up alone for hours on end, knowing the law would protect them.

Darwin's Fox territory even overlaps some territories with wolves and mane wolves. So, Kadupul and the other pups grew up with no fear of their cousins. However, they understood that they only trusted a few of them as there was a case of one of the pups being killed and eaten by one of the pack members. The Alpha banished that member and gave offerings of peace for five years straight. Kadupul remembered eating deer for the first time, and it was thanks to the promise of the wolves.