The Wilderness Series

By Ahura Werewolf

Note:All characters are copyrighted to me. Please dont use them.

Fox In The Woods



Part 1 Discovery



I walked under the shade of the trees, beams of sunlight filtered through the leaves. I drew in the scent of the lake as it wafted through the wind. I walked to the crest of the hill and looked out over the land. A vast sparkling blue lake and on the other side the tall green mountains of the Adirondacks.

From behind me I heard the rustling of leaves; I turned and looked as a fox kit tumbled out of the bush. The fox looked up at me with its brown eyes as I approached it, its eyes widen and it whined. I put my hand out and it sniffed it then proceeded to lick it. I petted its soft red fur and said “where did you come from” at that moment I felt another presence being released from somewhere in the confines of my mind. I heard a voice saying “where’s my mommy” I looked down at the fox and shook my head thinking I was insane.

I looked at it and said “this isn’t happening it must be a dream” I sat on the ground and started to say “I am crazy” the fox walked over to me saying “what’s your name” I replied “Jim…Jim Bromley” the fox replied back “mines Arctos” I smiled and then stroked it’s fur again.

I walked back up the trail to my house with Arctos following in my wake, I turned and said “you cannot come” he stopped and sat on his haunches and asked why. I told him “because my parents might not like me having a fox around” Arctos blinked tears and lowered his ears. I picked him up and held him against my chest saying “fine you can come” he yipped happily and licked my face.

Part 2

I made my way back to my house with Arctos in my arms, within him I could feel his tiny heart beat happily. As my house came into view I saw my father getting out of his car, I started to wonder how I was going to conceal a fox kit from him. The only thing I could come up with was to wait for my father to go into the house. I hid behind a tree and watched as he entered the house I found the old doghouse from my now deceased dog that was named Alex.

I dragged the doghouse into the woods, with Arctos bouncing up and down in my wake. I looked at him and said “we here is your new home” he sniffed it and said “what is it” I replied “it is a dog house” he went into it and curled into a small red ball of fluff and fell asleep. I went back to the house and found some wire fencing I walked back into the forest and fenced in Arctos’s doghouse. His ears perked up as he looked at me and asked “what are you doing” I replied “I am fencing you in so no animals try to harm you” he nodded and feel back to sleep.

As I walked back to the house it started to rain, I thought “maybe I could bring Arctos into the house” I shook my head no and thought he would be fine in his doghouse.

As the sun went down behind the hills it rained harder, when night came I lay in my bed awake when I heard the frantic cries of Arctos saying “where are you there is water coming in” I got out of my bed and walked to the front door and pulled it open. I ran towards Arctos’s doghouse but I feel into the mud. Mud got into my eyes and I stumbled around towards Arctos. I felt the cold wet steel of the fence and felt my way to the front gate, when I opened it I rubbed the mud from my eyes and found that the doghouse was flooded and in the corner of it was a wet and shaking Arctos.

I reached in and grabbed him by the scruff and held him to my chest as I made my way back to the house. I walked into the house and to the linen closet and went into the bathroom. I turned on the light and I proceed to dry off Arctos, when I was done his fur was all static. It was very funny but Artcos didn’t think so, he whines and then licked his fur down. I opened the door and gathered Arctos into my arms and I walked into my bedroom. After I closed the door I covered myself up with Arctos curled at the foot of my bed we both feel asleep.

Part 3

A couple of years passed since that night and my parents still didn’t catch wind of Artcos. Though there were a few close calls when he fell from the loft area into my birthday cake, fortunately I was able to get him out of the house since everyone had cake in their eyes.

Arctos had gotten bigger, his fur was a bright shiny red and he had a snow white underbelly. When school started up I could no longer spend very much time with him since I was swapped with homework. But I make every effort to visit him, when I do he bounces around like a pup which he still is.

As I started my freshmen year at Bellows Free Academy high school I became increasingly wondering how I was able to talk to animals specifically Arctos. As I walked into the library I noticed a book called Indians Of The Green Mountains, now from what my parents had told me we had a bit of Native American blood in our family.

As I sat down and opened the book I scanned the table of contents and saw “Native American Beliefs” I flipped to the page and began to read it. From what I read Native Americans had a special relationship with nature and every animal in it. As I continued to read farther into the chapter I realized it was the native blood in my family that had something to do with my ability to speak to animals.

After school was over I ran home with the book clutched under my arm, I found Arctos sitting in the nearby woods. His ears perked up he looked at me saying “what’s wrong” I all out of breath didn’t answer him. I shoved the book under his muzzle he looked down at it saying “what are these markings” once I caught my breath I replied “it is a book about Native Americans I believe it will help me understand why I can talk to you” Arctos looks up at me and says “let me know what you find out” he curls into a ball and falls asleep.

I petted his fur while I was thinking of anyone I could talk to, to help explain my gift. I remember my mother saying something about my uncle John having a lot of Indian blood. I got up off the ground and walked back to the house, my father had just arrived he looks towards me saying “what are you doing sport” I replied “nothing” I clutched the book behind my back so he wouldn’t see. He walked into the house; I followed him inside and ran to my bedroom in the back of the house.

I stowed the book under my bed and then approached my mother saying “mom where is Uncle John these days” she cocked her head and said “he is over on the Bronson Road back in the woods” I nodded and said “I am going to go visit him” she replies “why” and say “I have some questions for him” I went out into the garage and mounted my bicycle.

As I rode up the driveway Arctos started to follow me crying “wait for me Jim” I stopped my bike and picked him up and put him into the basket of my bike covering him up with my hoodie.

As I rode to his house I looked at the lake as I passed by. The water was sparkling with the sunshine reflecting off of the water. I could smell the fresh scent of the water; I looked at the beauty and thought I was lucky to live here. As he rode up the Bronson rode he was surrounded by rocks and woods. He saw a mail box at the end of a drive way that went off into the woods on it said “John Bromley” he looked down the long driveway the trees arched over it giving it the look of a cathedral ceiling. Arctos pokes his head from under the hoodie saying “that looks really creepy” I nodded.

I rode my bike down the driveway and as I rounded the corner of it a log cabin came into view. The cabin was made on of birch trees and it had a wooden porch on the front of it, on it in a rocking chair sat a man. He had a worn face with a tint of red, his eyes were brown. He had his graying hair in a ponytail; I stopped my bike in front of him. He looked up at me and says “who are you” I replied “I am Jim Bromley your” he cut me off saying “my sisters son I know who you are last time I saw you, you were in diapers” I blushed. When he looked behind me and at my bike he noticed Arctos looking around. H then looked back at me saying “why is there a fox with you” I reply “I will tell you when we are inside” he nodded and I followed him inside so didn’t Arctos.

Part 4

I sat down in a wicker chair in front of a wood stove; my uncle opposite me lit his pipe and began to smoke it. The smoke wreathed around his head, Arctos sneezed saying “that stuff stinks” my uncle looks at me saying “so what do you have to say” I told him all about meeting Arctos in the woods and how I could talk to him. I also told him that my parents knew nothing about it.

My uncle did nothing but listen in silence then after I was done talking he stood up and paced about thinking about what he had just heard. He turns to me and while he sits back down he replies “I remember when I was younger I heard some of the elders at the local meeting house talking about some of the young ones being able to do this. I to could talk to animals but I lost the ability when I grew older” I reply “what do you want me to do” he says “don’t tell your parents or anyone they might think you’re crazy, this will be our secret” Arctos walks up to my uncle and hops into his arms saying “I like him” I told him what he had said and my uncle petted him