Fox on the Run (Part 1)

Find out about the fate of a family of foxes as they are forced to leave their forest home and escape to the mountains. Drama, love, adventure and a little magic...

Art by Simone Ford

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BOOM!

The noise ripped through the green and otherwise quiet forest. An orange fox treading lightly on the forest floor stopped suddenly and pricked her hears.

BOOM!

There it was again, a sound so loud that the entire forest trembled, but this time, with a warning cry that deafened her ears, groups and groups of birds took flight from the trees on which they had been nesting. Everywhere in the forest, feathers fell, as the birds flew away as quickly as they could. The fox watched the sky until the last bird disappeared from view.

She shook herself, her long whiskers shining, and decided to go investigate what was going on. First though, she had to make sure that her family wasn't in danger. She ran softly becoming an orange streak on the red leaves.

She ran through the forest until she reached a hole in the ground, hidden by a bush and called for her family. They soon came out of the hole, her mate with his dark orange coat and following him, two smaller foxes, her pups who would soon be ready to leave the family and start their own life.

The vixen greeted them but soon took off running towards the source of the noise. Her family followed, four orange blurs flashing by, under the cover of the trees.

They started slowing down as the pungent smell of the two legged animals dominated the air. Humans.

The foxes crouched in the cover of a bush and watched.

"Move out of the way you idiot!" yelled Frank. He was tired. His job was tiring. His life was tiring. And the new guy, Bob, made him tired. And annoyed. Bob, in the traditional bright orange construction suit, was quite clueless when it came to the great yellow feller bunchers, great machines used to cut down trees.

"I said move out of the way! I will run over you!" Frank shouted from the window of his feller buncher which he secretly had nicknamed Big Berta.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Bob cried and jumped out of the way. With a satisfied grunt, Frank pushed the pedal and the machine moved forward, deeper into the forest facing them. Behind Frank a field of tree stumps dominated the ground where once ancient trees had buried their roots.

BOOM!

Another tree fell, joining his tree brothers and sisters on their journey to becoming chairs and tables.

The foxes whimpered as they saw tree after tree slayed. It was a slaughter, green blood and brown bones as far as the eye could see. The foxes stared as a yellow creature, bigger even than a bear, advanced towards their hiding spot, its mouth creaking. The foxes looked at it, not understanding, until its great mouth began to fall on top of them. Survival instincts quickly took over and they ran, escaping its deadly jaws.

But one of the smaller foxes had frozen in fear as the machine cut down the tree he was near. It happened so fast and not even the vixen, with her quick legs could save him; her pup. Blood and fur spluttered everywhere and the fire that had lit the fox disappeared. A human yelled as the machine came to a stop. But for the foxes; the mother, the father and the remaining pup the noise was the same. A giant wave of sound engulfed their ears, a mourning song for the pup and the sibling they had lost.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

With a frightful cry, the foxes turned and ran. Their home was gone. They ran, faster than the monsters that followed; who were cutting down trees and destroying countless homes and lives. The foxes ran and soon more joined them. Families of rabbits and bears, herds of deer, foxes, squirrels, moose and more ran for their lives; fear and desperation possessing their eyes. The animals passed the last standing trees and collectively, they all stopped. Predators and prey together, facing a new and scary world.

BOOM!

The humans and their machines were getting closer and with one last look at the dying forest they had once called their home, the animals ran. They ran through unfamiliar places, some falling behind. The group of animals thinned, each one going their own separate way in the panic that consumed them.

The foxes, alone now, ran towards the mountains, that to them looked like a safe haven. A protection of stone that was bigger than the humans and their yellow beasts.

They ran and ran through day and night only stopping to hunt and sleep, desperation and determination their only fuel. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the foxes stopped at the outskirts of a new forest. It was smaller than the one they had left and the stench of humans clogged the air but something told the foxes they were safe here. Maybe it was the thin swirls and waves of color they saw on the tops of the trees. Or maybe it was the sense of calm and peace that the forest projected.

The foxes trotted carefully through the trees, their eyes bright and alert. But exhaustion soon caught up with them. They limped on until they found a bush that seemed sturdy and safe enough for the night. One by one they dropped to the ground and slept, orange furs hidden by the leaves of a bush on the floor of an unfamiliar forest that seemed to be protected by magic...