Fireball: A Fox Tale

Part 1: Oreo

Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh-KACK!

Danger! Nora's precious feathered babies had sounded the alarm and now she was on full alert. The sixty-seven-year-old woman sat upright in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked out the window to where she knew the brightly colored chicken coop rested, only a few feet away from her Indiana home. But at the moment, she could only see pitch black.

Kuh-kuh-kuh-KACK!

Had Nora remembered to lock up the coop? At almost three in the morning, she only wanted to go back to sleep. But she couldn't. Not with this potential danger lurking in the night.

Kuh-kuh-kuh-KACK!

She knew she had to get out there to her chickens, but she also didn't want to freeze to death. Her silk, flower-patterned nightgown would do nothing against the inevitable chill of the late night air. But where was that woolen robe of hers? She fumbled through her closet, tripping over several pairs of shoes as she did so. After pulling out what seemed like half of her wardrobe, she finally what she was looking for.

The chickens' warning calls turned into screams of distress. She could hear the birds as they tried to escape, their wings scraping against the mesh of their coop.

Some might call Nora crazy for her chicken obsession. On multiple occasions, even her friends and family had teased her about it, referring to her as "the old chicken lady". That didn't bother her though. They could call her "the old chicken lady" as many times as they wanted because it described her perfectly.

For her, the nine hens and single rooster that made up her tiny flock provided more than an income. Of course, the money she gained from selling the hens' eggs made her life a little easier, especially after her recent retirement. But she also relied on her chickens for companionship.

In particular, Nora adored Oreo, a black-and-white speckled Sussex chicken who felt it her job to keep the rest of the birds in line. Even the rooster cowered before the spirited hen. (He had learned his lesson after trying to move up the social ladder.)

All of her chickens with all of their little quirks - she loved them dearly. Just the thought that she could lose them all right now... No, she couldn't bear to think about it.

Nora rushed out onto the scene, hoping, praying that she made it on time. She clicked on her flashlight and directed the beam towards the coop. Please, please, she begged to herself. But the damage had already been done. Glowing eyes peered up at her, eyes that were attached to a triangular face with dark triangular ears and an elongated canine snout. And, just below the creature's face was a bird, one of her birds. She recognized the victim as soon as she laid eyes on her. The sight of Oreo's plump, lifeless body dangling from the fox's jaws caused her to let out a piercing scream. This couldn't be happening! She ran her fingers through the slop of grey hair plastered on her pale forehead.

"NOOOOO!!!" Nora shrieked, tears dripping down her cheeks. How could she have been so stupid? Of course she had forgotten to lock up the coop. Of course she had to worry about clothing when her chickens' lives were on the line. (How superficial of her!) And now, because of her carelessness, she had lost her one faithful companion. And, knowing foxes' reputations, the rest of her flock probably suffered the same fate, but she didn't really want to check on them at the moment. The harsh reality of Oreo's loss was just too much to handle.

The fox stared blankly at her, but it seemed to shudder a little at the sound of her screaming. As the predator's body shook, so did the fowl's dead body. Blood began to drip from Oreo's broken neck, only to land on the fox's muddy black paws.

"Get out of here! Go on, get!" She emphasized this command with a wave of her arms.

The fox slowly backed away, but refused to leave. In the beam of the flashlight, the creature appeared quite small, at least in comparison to some of the other foxes she had seen. But of all its physical features, its coat stood out the most. Naturally, Nora expected to see the characteristic red-orange color so often associated with this particular species, but this one seemed to have the reddest fur Nora had ever seen. She had to admit, despite the circumstances, that this was a beautiful creature.

But beauty could not save the wretched beast from the woman's wrath. Nora selected a rock from a small pile lying near the coop and tossed it at the predator. The rock just barely missed its target, but it sufficed. The fox turned tail and ran for the refuge of the woods.

🐾🐾🐾

For the young fox, life had not been easy. Sure he had just scored a decent meal, but he had been lucky then. He had also been desperate.

At just five and a half months of age, he had already gained his independence, but not by choice. Both his parents had lost their lives a week ago. And with no living brothers or sisters, he now lived the life of a lone fox.

To make matters worse, larger prey had become scarce in his hunting grounds. What happened to all of the rabbits? The squirrels? His main sources of protein? Until he found the human's chicken coop, he had mostly survived on the several species of insects crawling on and below the forest floors - grasshoppers, beetles, earthworms. He had even found the jackpot: berry bushes. But how long would that all last? Surely he could not live on luck forever.

To be continued...

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks so much for reading! If you liked Part 1, please don't forget to vote! Also if you have any comments or questions, I would love to hear from you! :)

What do you think about Nora so far?

Who do you sympathize more with - Nora or the fox?