Foxfey

<•> Chapter 15 <•>

The tunnel slope wasn't steep. And she saw an orange flicker of flame inside the den, it seemed for warmth. She ducked under a clump of messy roots and found herself in a big spacious den. The floor was almost entirely flat making it easy to walk and the ceiling high she didn't have the crouch down at all. The fire had stones around it, and there were moss beds with sticks and twigs all around the edge. The den was more round than square, and some old foxes laid on the bed chatting quietly. Some bones lay around from prey that had been eaten. The foxes chatter vanished as she stepped in.

Mouse on the bed closest to her on the left saw her and grinned he faced the other elders and said excitedly, "This is the fox that promised me stories about the city!"

There were three elders besides Mouse. One was a dark brown fox with brown eyes she had a flower in her tail. Then there was a red fox with golden eyes and had ripped ears like they had been shredded beside her. Then there was a black fox with silver streaks in his fur he had one brown eye the other was white and milky, he had a scar along his snout in the shape of an X.

"Hello! My name is Blossom!" The dark brown vixen greeted.

The red fox glanced at Starla a calm expression on his face, "My name Basil, you met my son Hawk yesterday."

Starla smiled and nodded.

Mouse nodded his chin at the black fox who barely glanced at Starla before looking at the wall, "That's Midnight."

Starla sat beside Mouse and nodded her head at them politely.

"You were going to tell us about the city?" Mouse inquired.

"Sure, what do you wanna know?" Starla asked.

Blossom folded her paws over each other and her eyes sparkled she looked younger when her eyes did that. "Is it true there are humans everywhere?"

Starla nodded, "On the sidewalks buildings, the machines."

Blossom gasped her eyes growing wide, "That must be so scary!"

"They mostly come out at day and most leave early and have a routine. So once you learn the pattern it isn't too bad but you have to be careful." Starla shrugged.

"Still any fox has to be clever if they live in a city with them." Basil said.

His serious gaze and poster reminded Starla of Hawk, like father like son apparently.

"How did you get away from humans?" Mouse asked leaning forward.

"They have alleys and ledges you can climb and hide behind, you just have to be careful of the little humans they can ruin your hiding spots." Starla said.

"I've never actually seen a human but they are dangerous," Blossom clicked her tongue.

"If you've never seen one than how do you know? But you are right they are really dangerous." Starla said flicking her tail.

"They are as dangerous as you city fox." They all turned to see Midnight sitting up his glare fixed on Starla.

His voice was deep and gravelly, and his glare was steely and sharp much sharper than Hawk's and the voice reminded Starla of the angry human who killed her parents and she winced at the memory.

"What are you talking about Midnight?" Mouse asked his eyes on him.

Midnight didn't glance at him but stared down Starla. "Bringing a city fox here is dangerous. She could lead the humans right to us, she can't survive in the forest. Once a city of always a city fox!" He too spat the words "city fox".

Curiosity overcame her and she spoke without thinking. "Why does everyone hate city foxes?" She asked staring hard back at him.

He suddenly laughed it was more bark and it was mean. "City foxes aren't one of us no matter what your blood says. City foxes are cowards who know nothing of honor or moral code. A disgrace to all foxes!" He seethed and his tail lashed.

"My parents are not cowards!" She jumped up glaring back.

He narrowed his eyes at her and his tone was icy and flat. "Your parents are as much as a coward as I am a fox."

"How dare you say that! You didn't know them!" She spat her fur bristling.

Midnight stood up he towered over her and scars marked all along his body like drawings on a wall or in the alleyways. He looked at her like a bug that was biting him, a pest. "I trained as an apprentice with your parents. Your father couldn't tell what a mouse was when it was right between his paws."

She felt her muscles tense ready to rip this elder apart but before she could Blossom stepped in her way, she put a reassuring tail of her shoulders and said kindly, "Why don't you meet the other tribe mates, we can hear your stories another time."

Starla paused then whirled around and stomped out, she felt her face heat up with embarrassment. Great first impression for the elders, she thought bitterly.

She shoved aside the grass net and heard arguing in the den but she crawled out and covered it before she could make out any words. She didn't want to hear Midnight's deep voice again. She looked across the meadow and spotted Ciaran with some other foxes around his age.

She felt her frustration ease away as she padded toward them. But she was about halfway there when she heard her name and stopped. There were two red foxes one with a skinny tail, both had blue eyes, Ciaran stood in front of them, and Acorn was beside them a scowl on her face. Starla flicked her ears forward to hear what they were saying as she ducked behind a big rock.

"She's nice." She heard Ciaran said slowly.

She peeked around the rock focusing on their words that were hard to make out.

"Nice? Ciaran she's a city fox! How could she possibly be apart of the prophecy? She didn't even know about tribes! You made that whole journey and brought back a stranger for nothing!" Acorn argued narrowing her eyes and huffing.

"I am sure she is apart of the prophecy. And Esther was the one who said Arrow and Bell ran to the city to raise their kits. I just bought her back." Ciaran said.

The red fox with the skinnier tail spoke up she had a squeaky voice, "I have to agree with Acorn, what if that all was for nothing? Besides what are we going to do with her if she isn't? Send her back?"

"That's up to Esther and Hawk!" Ciaran said firmly.

They don't want me here? Starla hadn't even thought of the possibility of them kicking her out if she wasn't of use to them. She frowned at this sudden change of mind.

"I say we kick her out." Acorn said.

"That's not your decision Acorn!" Ciaran said firmly and quickly.

"Seriously Ciaran? Do you hear yourself? Why do you like this vixen so much?" Acorn said.

"Because I spent time with her! You might like her if you didn't spend half your time glaring at her!" He said.

The fox with the fuffly tail sighed loudly, "Would you two stop? Me and Mintleaf will leave if you two don't stop bickering. And keep it down! The whole tribe is going to hear you two!"

Acorn and Ciaran sighed, Acorn looked away fuming.

They continued to speak too quietly for Starla to hear but she decided not to interrupted. They had seemed to move on from speaking about her from what she could tell. But this was news to her ears, she never thought they could kick her out. Didn't blood matter? Did she even want to come back? Pyke...what was her brother doing? Why hadn't he come with her? She shook her head to clear her thoughts and sneaked away until she looked like she was just walking around the meadow and not spying on them. She practiced using Sight, but stayed away from the groups of foxes.

She needed to think, what would she do if they kicked her out? Would Ciaran bring her back? It was too much for her. She curled up underneath a bush and watched the foxes. She still felt like a stranger among them would she ever fit in? For once she wished Pyke was here to tease or mess with her, even hearing her nickname would have cheered her up quite a bit.