It Should've Been Me

The Truth Must Be Told

(Authors note: Hi all, I'm back again with another chapter. Like I said before, this was the restart of my writing. The updates will not always be this soon after each other, but I'll try. I'm glad to see the response to my last chapter, and I would like to thank everyone for reading and continuously supporting me. A thanks to 'Faith' for the review and favourite, as well as the others who have been here throughout the story. We pick this up at the Slade farm.)

The Slade farm, a few hundred meters from the other, seemed to have used the time it was given. The once cold barrels filled with the bodies of old hounds had been removed, making space for two bigger ones. The fresh smell of varnish coated the air as Amos applied a generous layer to them. The cold morning seemed to have prevented Copper from coming outside, creating the opportune time for a heart to heart.

But how was this talk going to work? The pair had only just adjusted to the unfortunate passing of a newly reborn animal, an animal who seemed to give love and hate simultaneously, a fox who had been delivered to purgatory's gate, only to be spat back out into this world of cruelty where an animal is seen not by his heart, but by his standing in life.

Yet the understanding of this fox's impact in Copper's life, what other choice did Chief have?

Copper lay in the lounge, his body resting atop a rag sprawled out for the two visitors using this space. The Bloodhound was quite content. His usually cold morning routine was replaced with one consisting of lazing around until the next meal arrived. The sound of footsteps stole the hounds attention, calling him to turn his head in anticipation of the next bowl of food, though he was soon after surprised to see his adopted father.

"Chief, why did yea do that?" Copper asked as the Wolfhound walked up to him, his face was a mixture of confusion and anticipation.

"Why did I do what?"

"Yea made me thing food was coming."

"If yea need food, why didn' yea help with a hunt?" Chief began, contemplating on how to approach the subject he wanted. "Yea woulda' seen something interestin',"

"You chasin' your long lost rival?"

"Okay, make it two then,"

"Chief, if yea trying to say somethin', yea best be doing it. I'm getting tired."

Chief had to do this, it was not something that could be left unsaid. The truth had to come out sometime. His heart raced as he sat down, straightening his face to get the message across that this was to be a serious conversation. Knowing this, Copper reluctantly sat up. His smile slowly faded following a sigh from Chief.

"My boy, there ain't no other way to put this."

"I don't want to hear anything about Tod, leave him rest in peace," Copper said as he turned around to walk of, but was stopped by the words the old hound recited.

"How can he rest in peace while walking around? Tod is alive."

...............

"What do you mean she told you the same thing?" Tod asked curiously at his unexpected guest. A vixen his eyes had not discovered until a few moments ago, a vixen with tales of life which could give guidance to even the most experienced in survival, a elderly vixen named Rose. By no account did the name register in his mind, and her voice played no familiar strings in the younger foxes ears, and yet something was unusual. A familiarity he could not shake.

"Well, there was once a time when prey and predator left each other alone, where both sides of the fence stayed clear of one another. So I asked Big Mama, 'What caused the drift between the hunter and the hunted?' and her simple response was that time had a way of changing things." Rose said as she slowly moved closer to Tod as he shifted uncomfortably hearing the very words once recited to him being recited to this complete yet almost mistakenly familiar stranger.

As the vixen sat down, she twisted herself as she hear barking in the background, showing her back to Tod momentarily, but long enough for the fox to note two small bald patches on her back. The sight of them was almost chilling, yet probed the young fox to ask a question he had no business knowing. "Rose, may I ask what happened to your back?"

Rose quickly spun back around until her face was locked with Tod's. She would have preferred him not to ask about it, but then again, he did just save her. He had asked for nothing in return, making the young fox appear genuinely curious, not with her body and ability to preform, but in a simple mark on her back, a mark which would forever remain in her heart and her soul.

She lowered her head and tried to suppress long held tears before deciding to answer the question, "It was a while back. I was living nearby, and I had a kit. Me and my mate were sleeping when a hound woke us up. It was that mongrel outside you saved me from. My mate told me to run and take our little one. And then..." her sentence was brought to a hold as the elderly vixen could no longer carry the built up dams in her eyes.

Tod was tempted to say that she need not continue if she didn't want to, but before he could open his mouth, she slowly began to breath deeper and slow the sobs to a point where she was able to talk. "Then there was a boom. A gunshot followed by a long howl. A howl of victory. And when I turned around, he was after me. I ran fast, just fast enough to lay my only child by a fence. Then I ran off, trying to distract the hound. And I was shot at. A few pellets skimmed my skin, but I got away. Now I'm back to try and find him."

"Well," Tod began as he realised what was familiar. The smell that hit his nose seemed to tell him more than anything else. This vixen smelled significant, dominant but most importantly, as if he had acquired her aroma before. She had to be the one. The timeline matched up, and so, he smiled. "You don't need to go looking anymore. Ma, It's me."

"It can't be... How?"

"I was found by the fence at about the same time. Big Mama seemed to nurture me more than anyone else. She told me I was special. That my mother was out there somewhere. And she was right. I have found you, Mom."

.....

(Authors note: Well now, would you take a look at that. It seems Tod may recover after all, but not in the way you may think. For more information about Rose, please read "The Past And The Present" as that was where I got inspiration and ideas for this chapter. Rose is mine. The rest belong to Disney. I'll see y'all soon and thanks for reading.)