Fireball: A Fox Tale

Part 5: The Visitor

The sun graced the earth with her presence as she climbed above the horizon, painting the sky with oranges and yellows as she did so. It promised to be another beautiful day.

After stretching out his constricted muscles, Fireball left the warmth of his navy blue fleece bed and padded out of his wooden den. He let the morning rays sink into his skin and welcomed the earthy scents of the grass and soil beneath his paws. Now all he had to do was wait.

About twenty minutes later, Nora emerged from her home bearing a tin bowl filled with delicacies. To her, these food items were only leftovers from her own breakfast, but Fireball viewed it as a feast fit for a king. The meaty aroma of bacon and sausage wafted through his nostrils, causing the fox to salivate.

After the fox had finished off every last morsel of his breakfast, Nora picked up a red plastic disc and tossed it in his direction. He watched it soar over his head, imagining it to be a majestic red-tailed hawk. He could just picture it screeching from the skies as it searches for its next meal. But just like any other time the woman tried this, the disc clattered on the ground behind him. A hawk would never land in such a way. Really, what was it she was trying to do with that disc anyway? Was he expected to do something with it? He heard her garbled human speech, but couldn't make too much sense of it. The fox desperately wanted to be able to understand the woman who had saved him, but even after living with her for two full years, he could only make out certain words. But then again, she couldn't really understand him either.

Suddenly, another feminine voice sounded behind him. She picked up the red disc and approached his human. Who was this strange visitor?

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"Not too good with the frisbee, is he?"

Nora looked up and saw her thirty-one-year-old daughter walking towards her. The girl's brunette hair was tied up in a ponytail, but her bangs dangled just above her dark brown eyes. Her violet sweater was tucked into her jeans and her knee-high boots completed the outfit.

"Mandy!"

Nora rushed over to her daughter and pulled her in for a bone-crushing bear hug, causing Mandy to lose her grip on the frisbee.

"Sorry, I should have called," Mandy said.

"Nonsense! I'm just glad you're here."

Mandy smiled. "Oh, and Zach will be here soon. He just went over to Buck Creek to check out a few things."

"Perfect! It'll be good to see the hubby again."

Mandy laughed. "Well, he's excited to see you, too. He's always wanted to live in the country, but you know my job requires me to stay in New York."

"Of course, sweetie," Nora agreed. "Congratulations by the way. I can't believe my baby girl is a CEO now."

"Geez, Mom. Stop embarrassing me."

"How on Earth am I embarrassing you? I can guarantee you Fireball can't understand a word of this."

Mandy looked at the puzzled fox and smiled at him.

"Maybe, but even still, I think we should go inside."

Nora nodded and led her daughter to the front door. Fireball trotted along behind them. 

Mandy heard leaves crunching behind her and turned around.

"Mom, I think we have a stalker," she said.

Nora laughed. "You don't mind if he joins us, right? I sometimes let him come in. He doesn't usually cause too much chaos."

Mandy sighed, but agreed. "Fine, but don't blame me if he ruins our plans to take over the world."

Nora elbowed her in the shoulder.

"Ow! Geez, you don't have to be so aggressive about it. It was just a joke," Mandy said.

"Oh, I'm fully aware."

"You know, for an old lady, you've sure got some spunk."

"You want to say that one more time?" Nora asked as she threatened to elbow Mandy again.

"No, no. Please don't hurt me!"

The two women laughed as they waited for Fireball to join them.

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Later that evening, Mandy pulled her mother aside.

"Mom, I feel like I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it, sweetie? Are you gay? That might be pretty awkward for your husband. Isn't he waiting for you upstairs?"

"Mom, this isn't about me. Or Zach. Please, can you be serious for a moment?"

Nora nodded and indicated for Mandy to sit down on the sofa beside her.

Mandy took in a deep breath and then began. "Mom, I know this is going to suck for you to hear, but..." She bit her lower lip. "But I don't think you should keep Fireball ... with you."

"Mandy, honey. What makes you say that? I thought you liked him. Didn't you see how tame he is?"

"Yes, he's great. Really, he is. He's adorable, he's smart, he's funny. But..."

"But what?"

"He's still wild at heart, Mom. Don't you realize this? You can't just take wild animals away from their homes. It could ruin the ecosystem or something."

"I only brought him here after saving him from a hunter and his trap. I couldn't just let him die!"

Tears threatened to spill out of Nora's eyes.

"Yes, I'm glad you saved him. Truly I am. But you did your job. You prevented him from being killed and you patched him up with your fancy veterinarian tools."

"What are you saying?"

"I think..." Mandy began. "I think you know exactly what I'm saying. He doesn't need you anymore. You've got to let him go."

"WHAT?!"

Fireball, who had been asleep by the hearth at this time, awoke from his slumber and raised his head to look at Nora.

"Sorry, buddy. Go back to sleep," she said.

"Look, I'm not saying you've got to throw him out right this minute. But ... but maybe we can say good bye together," Mandy said. "Would that help?"

Nora shook her head. "I can't believe you would do this to me. He's lived here for two years. I'm not turning my back on him now. Come on, Fireball. I don't normally do this, but you can come sleep in my bed tonight."

She then proceeded to pick up the fox and carried him upstairs to her room, glaring at her daughter as she did so.

To be continued...

A/N: Hey guys! If you liked Part 5, please don't forget to vote. And if you have any comments or questions, you can leave them for me here. I would love to talk to you all!

What do you think of Mandy?
Is Nora going to listen to her?