A Rough Start

Chapter 2

Vixen padded slowly through an oak forest. It had been several sunrises since Red's death and the wound on Vixens shoulder began to slowly heal. She stopped and parted her jaws, this part seemed to be filled with prey and there was rustling sounds everywhere. Her ears twitched and she saw a vole scurrying along tree roots. I hope this works.. Vixen thought as she crouched down into somewhat a hunting crouch. She never really practiced the hunting crouch, Red had only shown her a few times. The crouch wasn't perfect but Vixen jumped and landed on the vole. She swiftly killed it but the landing was awkward on her shoulder. With a hiss of annoyance Vixen padded over to some twisted tree roots, making a dome kind of like a den. Dropping the vole into the makeshift den, Vixen crawled through and settled down to eat her vole.

Vixen woke up to a crows call. She looked through the roots and couldn't see where the sun was, today was going to be a cloudy day. She crawled out of the roots and started to head in what she thought was the way to the setting sun. I need to find something for my shoulder.. She thought as she padded along in the woods and passed a log with cobwebs in it. This will at least protect it, well from what Red said. As the thought came to her head and she remembered the little things Red had taught Vixen. Red didn't know much about herbs but knew that cobwebs could stop bleeding. Also a couple of leaves and flowers that could prevent other things too.

After what seemed like forever of walking, Vixen stopped by a nearby stream. Her paws felt like stones and her stomach growled. She sighed and looked into the water, watching silver flashes in the water. Fish! Vixen pricked up her ears and settled down, she didn't mind water but she'd prefer vole any day. But if she didn't want to go to bed on an empty stomach, she could at least try. She watched the flashes go by and raised up her paw. Vixen struck into the water and it splashed all around her, but drew her paw back to find it empty handed. With a hiss of frustration she struck back into the water, not waiting for the fish to swim back. Just like the first she got nothing, but waited for the fish to swim back the third time. After a while she tested her luck again since she couldn't really rely on skill for this type of hunting. Vixen watched a small fish swim back and forth through the water, making quick darting movements. She struck her paw into the stream and felt the fish against her claws. Glancing down, her claws caught the fish's tail and the fish was splashing around. With a satisfied mrrow she flipped the fish onto the ground and bit the neck. She didn't really know if that was the most effective way of killing the scaly prey but it seemed to work. Vixen settled down and bit into the fish. She was surprised by the taste obviously it being something way different than any piece of prey with fur, but she started to like it. Fish would've been something to get used to and it wasn't going to be an everyday thing of course but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. After Vixen ate she padded around the forest more, looking for a good place to settle for the night and spotted a group of bushes with enough room for her to crawl underneath it. It wasn't the most spacious place but it's just one night. Vixen sighed as she gathered leaf litter into a makeshift nest. She crawled out from underneath the bush and climbed a nearby oak tree. It took her a while to get to the top, stopping here and there to rest her shoulder. Her shoulder was on the road to recovery, it being healed enough do basic things but still prone to infection and not closed up all the way. Some nights Vixen would wake up with her neck and shoulder dried with blood and clumping her fur together.

After getting to the top and settling onto a forked branch she gazed out at the horizon of the setting sun, the scarlet rays filling the skies with reds and yellows and oranges. She sighed wondering how different things could be if Red was here. Up in the tree Vixen could look out over everything and saw a long stretch of plains with the oak forest stretching with it on one side. Then Vixen looked beyond that, straining to see in the distance and saw what seemed like a large clump of rocks but there was a black stream leading to it in the distance also. The black stream seemed to lead towards the clump of rocks and also little bugs were flying over it. I thought bugs couldn't swim? Vixen thought as she gazed over the flatlands and the mysterious features on it. She climbed down as a warm breeze ruffled against her fur, and her mind was filled with curiosity. As she crawled underneath the bush and settled into the nest for the night her mind was still whirling with thoughts of what she saw. That will be another adventure for a different day.. Vixen stated as she fell asleep.

So I got my phone back! Woo! And I'm on spring break so I'll try to have a chapter a day and publish it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!