A Foxes Journey Book 2: The Lost River

Chapter I: Outbreak and Despair

    "Dark Breeze, we have to leave today otherwise we will never make it out alive! I am telling you every fox here except for me will die because the mountain will come crashing down on top of us!" Bright Light shouted at her leader as she thought about what Mountain Heart had said to her and the vision he had given her of the future too. Dark Breeze nodded her head to say that it was time to start moving, but she also had to check and see if Little Song had gotten all of their healing supplies. Bright Light gathered her pups into the curve of her belly. She wondered if they were actually going to make it to The Lost River before the winter time if they didn't all hope for them would be lost. Soon enough, they came to the stream that meant they were at the boundary that they shared with StreamRange. Dark Breeze scanned the hill that was the halfway point toward their camp, but no StreamRange foxes on patrol came into view, which made the MountainRange foxes very suspicious especially Dark Breeze. Dark Breeze gave her kinked tail signal which meant that the coast was clear, so Bright Light thought it would be okay to move her pups along and still be able to keep them safe. As they got closer and closer to the StreamRange camp no foxes ambushed, and when MountainRange entered their camp, it was completely empty, but the whole camp was a massive battlefield and Bright Light couldn't imagine what had happened to the poor StreamRange foxes they had hardly any foxes to start out with in the first place.

"Dark Breeze, why is their camp empty? It looks as if the poor foxes of StreamRange were forced out of their own camp." Bright Light asked Dark Breeze worried about the other Range and her ears were pricked for danger of the worst kind like in the tales her mother had told her about as a pup. Ice Tail had heard her anxiousness and had come to stand by her side to comfort and protect her.

"Bright Light, I think it is because they are on the move just like we are maybe, but this place sure doesn't look like it did three days ago and it most certainly isn't the idle place to stay in," Dark Breeze said to Bright Light confidently and yet unsurely completely underwhelmed by the other Range's absence, but also very overwhelmed by the fact that there was the scent of other foxes there and by the smell of them they had killed other foxes before. MountainRange had walked straight into the camp after all and that end of itself was a little freaky because no foxes had come out attacking them. Confidently Bright Light took her pups through the bushes that lead straight to the stream that StreamRange was named after, but little did she know that that was where their attackers were hiding. Dark Breeze had shook her head at what StreamRange's camp looked like it was completely destroyed, but their stream was the worst part it was full of blood and the currents were strong and were a crimson red color from blood of other foxes. Bright Light looked around for the remains of any StreamRange foxes, but there were none to be found. Bright Light shook out her pelt when she saw the scarlet battlefield of blood that was everywhere around the stream too.

"Dark Breeze, it looks as if they fought here, but then were overtaken so they had to leave. That or the bodies of the dead were all thrown into the stream by the foxes that attacked that never gave a care about burying them," Mountain one of Bright Light's pups told Dark Breeze oserventally unsure of why any foxes would keep anything looking this badly especially Range foxes no less. Dark Breeze gave a sniff at the ground, and then she realized that there was trouble-- other foxes and it was not StreamRange foxes either these were foxes that killed other foxes.

"MountainRange quickly and quietly get over the next hill. We have to get out of here! We will all be killed if we don't leave so move now! So if you want to live to see tomorrow move fast!" Dark Breeze shouted at her Range urgently, but it was too late. Foxes came out from all directions killing Coal Paw, Fire Fly, and Briar Pool with ease as if they were no more than prey that they would be eating.

"No, Briar Pool! Don't leave me. I can't care for these pups without you. Please come back! You have no clue how much I need you and what if I never get to see you again!" Bright Light howled out in the grief and love she still had for her mother as Ice Tail came over to her to share the grief. Bright Light then fell down at her mother's paws and wept out of sorrow and anguish that day left her hardened from the inside out she no longer had feelings of joy or hope or happiness. She just had the feelings of hurt, revenge, anger, and guilt. Soon more grief struck the whole Range because by the end of the battle which they had just barely won, they found Dark Breeze dead in the stream with blood pouring out of a gash on her throat, and one on her stomach. The stream of blood coming out of her was red and it soon drowned her in a pool of blood. Moss Fur stepped up to his sister and bowed his head in grief of not only a friend that was lost, but another family member and thought, She and the family she had: Rain Shower And Pool Shine were the only true family Dark Breeze had ever known. Hope will still arise my sister I promise to protect Rain Shower and Pool Shine with my life. May you live happily in StarRange's Ranks now and forever. Your destiny is now mine to fulfill and I promise to make sure these foxes get their rightful home. Pool Shine then lied down at her mother's paws and wept as the heartbroken moment continued. Pool Shine hadn't known that Turkey Feather and Owl Beak were her half brothers and that was what Dark Breeze had wanted to tell her before she had died and now Pool Shine would never know all of her true kin.