CHASE

Chapter 40

The hot days of summer had finally kicked in. It was getting too hot for her kits to play outside all the time, so Chase sometimes took them to the river, where it was cooler, for them to wrestle around by. Sometimes, she'd even give them hunting lessons since the prey was so plentiful this time of year.

As the hot season continued, Chase was reminded that the tods would be returning soon. At this point, she wasn't sure whether she was excited or nervous. She could not wait to see her mate again, but at the same time, if he was absent in the crowd of returning tods, then she wasn't sure what she'd feel. She wasn't sure she could go through such a loss again. And she wasn't sure what she would tell the kits.

One morning, Chase was sharing the fresh rabbit she had caught with her kits. She had tried to let them hunt for breakfast one day, but Fennel had only brought home a measly mouse that he'd mutilated so badly that most of the meat was inedible. Chase figured that until the kits improved some more in their hunting skills, she'd hunt for now.

Chase's ears pricked up at the sound of a fox running toward the dens. She glanced up, seeing one of the vixens rushing toward the other foxes, her eyes widened as if she had just witnessed something surprising.

"I can see the tods returning from over the hill!" she exclaimed.

Chase tensed. Were they back so soon? Was Rock among them? She grew quiet for a few moments, and her kits were quick to turn their gaze to her.

"Mom?" Lily asked.

"Your father may be coming home today," Chase said quietly, her heart pounding rapidly. The reality that he would be back was suddenly setting in. "Hurry and finish up your breakfast!" she commanded. "I need to lick all of your fur into place so you look good for your father."

"But I barely started eating," Heron complained.

"Finish up, finish up," Chase said, walking over to Lily and beginning to lick her fur. The other vixens and their kits were gathering around the dens, patiently waiting for their mates to return.

Chase moved on from Lily and began to lick Fennel and Heron's auburn fur. Both were whining and complaining, as well as still trying to get a few bites of meat in before Chase dragged them away so that they could stand in front of the entrance to their den.

"Sit up straight. Don't slouch," Chase told the kits, impatiently waiting. She could hear the sound of footsteps and noticed the first tods approaching. Her kits were quietly murmuring to themselves, probably trying to guess which one was their father. Chase realized that they had no recollection of what he looked like in their memory. She scanned the crowd, looking for Rock while her heart felt like it was about to beat out of its chest.

The crowd continued entering, yet Chase saw no rock. The number of tods entering was growing smaller and smaller, and she began to dig her claws into the ground, afraid she would feel the heartbreak of the same day as she lost Yew. She kept it together though, for her kits, not wanting to show them any signs of vulnerability.

Finally, she saw Rock's pointed ears and thick auburn fur, and she let out a sigh of relief, beginning to wave his tail at him.

"That's our father?" Fennel asked quietly.

"Sh," Chase said, shoving her tail over his mouth as Rock made eye sight with her and quickly ran to her. Without thinking, Chase ran to him, immediately nuzzling against his fur.

"Happy to see me?" Rock asked.

"I missed you," Chase said quietly. "I got worried for a second. You were taking your time."

"I was keeping watch in the back to make sure there were no predators nearby," Rock said. "You had nothing to worry about. I'm a strong fox."

Chase smiled and licked his cheek. "I missed you."