CHASE

Chapter 35

As the cold days of winter continued on, Chase awaited anxiously for the springtime. She was getting tired of dragging her feet through the snow all the time and struggling to find prey. Not to mention, mating season had arrived, and she could not stand to hear the romantic gossip from the foxes she lived with. She wished it could just be spring already.

Though Chase had made her fair share of friends, she was keeping toward Rock mostly during this time, as he was the only one who still seemed sane. Plus, she enjoyed talking with him, and they had been bonded since she'd first arrived. Not to mention, he was always usually able to find at least one piece of prey when they went hunting together.

Chase woke up one morning, happy to see the sun out and not a cloud in sight. That meant the snow might melt a bit, and there would be no more snow coming that day. She was slated to go on another morning hunting trip with Rock. Now that spring was approaching, she kept remembering that he would be leaving on the annual hunt soon, and she'd be alone again.

Maybe I should try talking to even more foxes, Chase thought when she realized how lonely she'd probably be when he was gone.

Before she could make it to Rock's den, however, there was a group of giggling and gossiping vixens who eyed her as she approached. She stared at them oddly, offering a, "Good morning" in return to their strange stares.

"Chase, psst," one of the vixens, Peach, said, ushering her forward with the slight movement of her head.

"What is it?" Chase wondered.

There was some more giggling as she grew closer.

"We heard that you and Rock are mates," Peach said.

Chase tilted her head. "Which fox started that rumor? We're just friends, that's all," Chase argued, slightly irritated that the foxes were going around spreading rumors about her and Rock's relationship. She was starting to prefer her solo den on the outskirts of the forest suddenly.

"Whatever you say," Peach said before leading her cult of vixens away.

Chase wondered where the rumor had come from. Was Rock planning to ask her to be his mate? She hadn't considered it before, but nothing romantic had ever transpired between them. Besides, she was still getting over Yew, wasn't she? That being said, she was thinking about her deceased mate less and less since she had stopped visiting the clan cats so much. Had that been the only reason she was tied to him? It made her wonder how their relationship would have turned out if he'd lived longer.

Chase met Rock by his den, still a bit perturbed by the rumor she had been told. She mostly kept her silence as she hunted with him, giving vague answers here and there to the questions he asked. He could clearly tell that something was up because he finally asked, "What's wrong?"

Chase sighed. "Oh, it's dumb. I heard some vixens today gossiping about we were mates, which is crazy, right?" she asked, laughing slightly.

Rock laughed nervously too. "Yeah, crazy."

"I mean, just because we hunt together often doesn't mean we like each other that way," Chase added.

"Yeah, totally," Rock stated.

"Just a dumb rumor," Chase muttered as she began hunting with him again. The rest of the hunting trip felt odd, however, with little words exchanged between the two of them. All Chase could do was stop and stare at Rock as she thought about that dumb rumor. She realized his pelt was more fiery than she had previously thought, and his shoulders were more broad too. Now that she thought about it, he was a very handsome tod. She wondered why he had not picked a mate of his own yet.