The sky was filled with colored clouds when Maple arrived at a new forest. The setting sun cast a long shadow onto her cubs, Poppy and Fire. She shook her blood-red pelt- a rare trait in red foxes, and let out a sigh. Finally. She thought.
* * *
Maple ran towards the intriguing scent as she recalled what had happened in the last few days. It took a quarter moon for her and her cubs to arrive at their new home. The death of her friend Hazel and the invasion of humans forced her family to move to a new habitat. Now Maple lived in a forest of aspen trees bordering a small pond. The prey had been plentiful, unlike her previous territory.
Grief and sorrow filled her heart as she thought about her old den. Hazel. She thought. The young red fox with a brown tail had helped her with her hunting, that is, until Hazel got shot by a human and their firesticks. Concentrate! Maple scolded herself. You have to hunt for your kits!
Maple slowed as the scent became stronger. She distinctly saw a small, golden-brown silhouette nibbling the ground. Maple crept towards it, taking in the strange, new animal. I wonder what that is? She thought curiously. Well, I guess there's only one way to find out. Maple leaped at the creature, her claws stretched in front of her. The brown shape saw her and tried to run.
"Eek!" It squeaked. But it was too late. Maple's claw's landed firmly on the strange animal, and pinned it there. "Pleasedonteatme pleasedonteatme PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!!!!!"
"Chill, jeez." Maple calmly barked. "I'm not going to eat you." I think.
The little creature blinked once and let out a sigh. "Really! You're not going to eat me? YOU'RE NOT GO-"
Maple cut the animal off. "NO! I'm NOT going to eat you! Calm down!"
"Ok, ok." The thing said.
"I have a question." Maple asked. "What are you?"
"Well, you see. I'm a gopher." The animal, no, the gopher said. "I eat plants, I dig tunnels to live in, I get mates, I fight other gophers for territory, I get attacked by creatures like you, I die, things like that."
"Ok?" Maple replied, bewildered. "Uh- I think I'm going to let you go now." She lifted her claws off the gopher.
"Alright! Goodbye!" The gopher squeaked, running off. Turning back, it added, "And thanks for not eating me!"
What a strange little creature. Maple thought. Still confused, she continued with her hunt.
YOU ARE READING
The Hidden Enemy
Short StoryStory Two of the 'Red Fox Tails' series. Sequel to The Red Flame When Fire suddenly goes missing, Maple's heart in thrown into despair. Has one of her only remaining pups fell into the hands of the humans? And how exactly can Maple get her beloved p...
