Lone Fox: Book 2

Goodbye

I run as fast as I can with a body on my back. I can tell by the smell the I am getting close to the den. I hope mom is home, I think.

I come upon the den. I can smell my mom scent and can tell she is home. "Mom! Ash is hurt!"

Mom runs out of the den. She looks angry. She yells, "Where have you to been? I told you to stay in the den."

Her face changes from angry to concern as she notices Ash's unconscious body. "What happened?"

"We were attacked by wolves. Ash ran and fell off a cliff," I answer. I slowly lay Ash on the ground in front of me.

"Why were you outside?"

"He was bored inside the den and said he wanted to go outside and explore. I said 'no' but then he said that we could either go together or he would go alone and I couldn't let him do that. So I went with him."

"You could have stopped him,"she says. "You could have kept him from being hurt."

"This isn't my fault. He was the one who wanted to go outside; not me. He was the one who lead us into wolf territory; not me. He ran off the cliff; not me."

"You survived; not him."

"He's not dead. He's just unconscious." I say angrily. "You make it sound like you would rather have me be the one who fell."

She lays down next to him and rests her head on him. "I would rather have you both not fall. But, you could have saved him."

"I tried. I ripped off his tail trying to keep him from falling." Ash groans and then whimpers but doesn't wake up.

"It was your responsibility to protect him," she claims. I hate it when she does this. When something bad happens, she blames someone else.

"No, it's not. It's yours."

"You're his big brother. You are supposed to be there for him." She replies.

"I tried. I just-"

"You tried. You probably bit off his tail to make it look like you tried."

I pause after that. "Why are you being so mean?" I ask.

"My son was almost killed because of you."

"You have two sons."

"My sons wouldn't let each other get hurt."

I bare my teeth. "It wasn't my-"

"Get away from him. In fact, get away from me. I never what to see you again."

I stop baring my teeth, "What?"

"You have been kicked out of this den."

"But... I care about Ash. I want to know if he gets better. You can't do this. Please."

"I'm sorry. Now, get out."

I stare at her for a long time. This whole conversation has surprised me. "I love you," I admit.

"I love you, too."

"Then why are you doing this?"

She looks down at her front paws. She always does this. Anytime you ask her a question she doesn't want to answer, she looks at her paws.

"Will you tell him I love him?"

"Of course I will."

I turn around and freeze, my feet not wanting to move forward. I look over my shoulder at my mom and Ash. As I take a step forward, I hear a voice,"I love you, too, Eli. Goodbye."

I turn my head again and see that he is still asleep. "Goodbye," I say under my breath.

I look forward and put one foot in front of the other. I'm alone, I think.

I walk until night. I find an old den that a fox probably lived in a long time ago. A mouse is inside. I kill it and eat it.

I lay in a corner. It takes a while to fall asleep, but I finally do. I dream of my mother and brother. Of what it would be like if we spent our lives together.

But in the end, I'm still alone.

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Sorry it took so long to make this. I have been busy. I hope you like it.

Also, sorry it is so short.

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~A.K