The Fox and Her Bow

-9-

After coming back from pinning my letter to the letter tree, I sigh, knowing it might be days before I get another letter from her. I miss her words already. 

"Time to move on. I won't be able to go on like this." I take a beep breath. My stomach rumbles. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm hungry too."

With food being stretched thin, the last time I went to the village, I grabbed some extra food, some I still had in my bag. I had also gotten another bag, one I name the "Food Bag", stollen only for food. With my dinners being less then what I had when I was in the village. Some meals, I went home full to the brim with food! But these days, well...

There wasn't really something I could do about it though. Not unless I wanted to get caught. 

Man, I am really turning into a criminal of sorts, I think. Not something I want to be. I look into my food bag and see it still has some food in it. But just to be sure, I should probably go into the village again tonight, just to make sure I have enough food in case I need to...I don't  know, flee or something. You can never be too careful, right?

My bow is slung over my shoulder. It had been there since I had restrung the string from later this morning. It had been needing it for some time. Every time I drew back the string, it pulled back further and further, and the arrow never went as far as I expected it to. Not to good when you go hunting. But, as a vegetarian, it didn't really matter. But with this war going on, or coming, you cant be too careful. The war is coming, I can feel it. Maybe within the week, maybe two. A fortnight is not enough time for our village to get ready. They will be here before we are even halfway done our  preparations!

Sometime or another, I will have to step in.

Would my tribe even allow that? I highly doubt it. But, if it was for the good of the village's survival, then...well, they would have to allow it. 

As I walk out of my cave, and onto the top of it, I think. They know. They have ever since I entered the arena. I showed up all the best hunters. No one was better then me. They have got to see my potential, and sooner rather then later.

The sun is high in the sky now, and, though I haven't yet gotten my lunch ready, I just sit. I sigh. The war was going to change everything. People will be lost, houses will be gone, and worry will always hang above our heads. And somehow, the Chief has to lead us? No, that can't be even remotely possible. He doesn't have the navigation skills that I have, or the expert aim I posses. 

Maybe I'm being to hard on him. He is the Chief, after all. I sigh. I should give him a chance.

But, just to be certain, I will go to the village tonight and check up on the progress. 

My stomach growled, pulling my from my thoughts. "Yeah, yeah. Lunch will be ready soon." Not really knowing what to have, I jump down from the roof of my cave. The soft swish from my tail as it touches the ground follows the thump of my boots landing on the soft ground before my cave. 

My food bag is growing empty, but a good chunk of bread is still there, maybe a little bit stale, but it will have to do. A few berries are scattered among the  contents of the bag. I take out the plate I had made, and scoop some berries from the corners of the bag. I get a fire started, and sit back, staring into the dancing flames of the fire before me. 

Lunch tastes fine, but there was something missing. Addison. I always sit with her at lunch. She's the only one who would. Suddenly, I hear a scampering noise outside the curtain of the cave. "Hello?" What am I thinking? That's an animal out there, it won't respond to 'hello'. I abandon my food, placing it on the ground by the fire, and crawl up to the curtain. The scampering noise comes back again. Tugging the curtain back, and, for a brief second, a small, furry leg is seen. 

A bunny? 

I pull the curtain back some more, and sure enough, a little brown coloured bunny looks up at my with a twitching pink nose. 

"Oh, hi there, little one." I draw the curtain back fully, and move to the side. "Do you wanna come sit with me?" The bunny hesitantly puts a small paw forward. "It's ok." I pat the ground next to me. The animals I had tried to become friends with me in the past, well, they saw I had a tail, and when they caught sight of my fox features, they fled. This was probably the closest an animal had ever gotten to me. Feathers had been hurt when I had first saw her, and although she was helpless, she struggled away from me. But I has bigger then her, so I was faster. Her wing feathers was ruffled, and she was limping as she tried to move away from me. Gently, I picked her up, and cradled her in my arms. She tried so hard to get out of my grip. But she was too far off the ground to fall. As I healed her, she grew more fond of me, and when she went for her first flight, she came back to my house. Ever since then, we became best friends.