Memory (Aspen Fallsong)

==Chapter 1==
It’s been days. More days than I could possibly count. 
Maybe even seasons have passed. Who knows? Certainly not me. 
I opened my eyes suddenly. Where am I? My vision is all light blue and blurry. I can see my muzzle, though. It’s bright orange, contrasting against the blue that’s pressing down all around me. 
Who am I? I don’t know anymore. I might have a few years ago… but now, I don’t know.
I tried to wriggle. No. I’m frozen solid. My fur is stuck. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep to come once more. I’ve been sleeping for eternity. That’s the only way I’ve been able to stay in this ice without freezing to death. I’d be dead already, otherwise. How old am I? 
The last clear memory I had was being dragged away by the Stalkers. They grabbed me by the legs and threw me into a wooden den, where a Stalker in white fur poked me with a sharp stick and then I fell asleep. I woke up, and I was an ice cube. 
Wait, what was that? 
A blob’s coming near me. I tried to yelp. My snout! It’s stuck together! The blob’s coming closer. Now I can see it clearly. Even with the blurriness, I can see that it’s a Stalker. 
No, not another one. I shut my eyes, trying to act as if the Stalker will go away just if I close my eyes and pretend to be dead. No. Of course not.
There’s a sudden movement and I scream in my head with surprise. The Stalker is hitting the ice with a weird stick. It’s not long until the ice splits in half and I fall to the ground. 
My bushy tail flicks. I can move! I can really move! I yelp in delight, but it’s soon replaced with a snarl of indignant anger. The Stalker is moving right towards me. I struggle to stand up, surprised at the feeling of solid ground under my paws. I haven’t felt so… solid in years!
The Stalker has a long stick I recognized partly. There’s a very strange memory in my head, of a Stalker pointing it at a crimson vixen. There was a sudden bang and I was blinded. 
Soon, I saw the Stalker was pointing his stick at me! I leaped out of the way just at the last heartbeat and scrambled away. I couldn’t tell where I was.All I wanted to do was get away.
Get away fast.
That was the only thing I needed to do. Underneath me, it was a sheet of what felt like wood. It was very slippery too. It’s like ice, but smoother. I let out a bark of alarm. Running on this sheet of wood was impossible to do without the chance of damage. Suddenly the world tilted and I’m thrust into a short wall. A Stalker grabs me and stuffs me in a wooden den. As the top slides over and I’m covered in darkness, I sat down, letting out small whimpers. 
The Stalkers are horrible.
They killed someone close to me. I’m still not sure that vixen exactly was…
She was close to me, I knew that. 
Curling up, I put my plumy tail over my nose and tried to get some sleep. Sleep comes easily. I drift away into the world of sleep.
I woke up suddenly a few hours later because the world tilted again and I’m thrown to one side of the dark den. I let out a bark and curl up again. It goes on like this for a long time, the world throwing me from one side to another. It’s very painful.
Eventually, it stopped and I lay down. This was torture, it was.
I realized that everything was quiet. I pricked my ears. Where was I now? I looked up. The lid was dislodged. I pushed it up with my snout and peeked out. I was in a river. A big one. 
I leapt out of the wooden den and fell into the water with a splash. I floated to the surface and paddled towards shore. Soon I felt my paws touch the bottom and soon I was out of the water. Now my normally orange fur had turned a dark red and was dripping wet with fresh water. Shaking my fur, I stopped to sniff a flower. I let the fragrance wash over me and I sighed with happiness. I was free of the ice cube! It had been years since I’ve felt grass underneath my feet. The flower trembled in the breeze and I scuttled over to the undergrowth. The river flowed through a forest. A lush green one. It was a sight for sore eyes.
For years, I had only seen a blurry light blue. A lush green forest was what I needed. I turned around and realized how thirsty I was. All those years in the ice cube must’ve taken its toll on both my thirst and hunger. I took a very long drink and sat down. I took a look at my paws, which were black. My paw pads are pink. I’ve forgotten how I look. 
My stomach rumbled loudly and I stalked into the undergrowth. Maybe I’d find some… what was the name? Oh, right. Prey. I think foxes eat rabbits. And sometimes mice. 
I saw a small brown tail bobbing out of an elderberry bush and I crept forward. Let’s see if I could hunt this.
I wriggle closer. Closer.
When I pounced, a flash of orange leapt out at me and grabbed me by the throat. I let out a yelp as I was pinned to the ground.
“Prey stealer!”
== Chapter 2 ==
The First Memory
I pounced onto a blackbird that was just a little bit smaller than me. I looked up and saw a vixen smiling at me.
“Look! Look what I caught!” I said proudly, showing her the dead blackbird.
The crimson vixen barked with laughter. “Good job! One day, you’ll even be able to catch a rabbit.” 
“Ooh, a rabbit? Really?” I repeated, in awe. Rabbits were apparently the best prey a fox could eat. They were plump, fat, and gave you lots of meat. '''''
The vixen nodded, waving her plump tail and curling me closer. “How about I show you how to catch one now? Then you’ll find it as easy as catching a bird to catch a rabbit when it’s time. Eh?” 
“Oh, yes. Show me, show me!” I said, full of excitement. I followed her through the forest, my bushy tail dragging out behind me.
I was going to learn how to catch a rabbit! None of the other kits were going to learn how to catch a rabbit. Only me!
The vixen and I stopped at a small clearing, where a stream ran by. 
“What are we doing here?” I asked, somewhat dismayed. “I thought we were going to catch rabbits!” 
“I am, silly,” the vixen laughed, nudging me playfully. I batted at her muzzle with a small black paw. “You’re just going to watch so you can learn! This is the clearing where you can find the most rabbits. Didn’t mother ever tell you that?” 
“Mother never tells me anything,” I retorted, remembering the orange vixen that had raised me and this vixen.'''''
“Well then, you’ll just have to learn from me,” the vixen said, flicking her tail disdainfully. “Now watch-” She broke off, her ears pricking.
“What is it?” I asked eagerly. 
Had she scented a rabbit already? Wow, that was fast!
She held up a paw, which I had learned meant ‘silence’ and I shut my muzzle. She definitely had scented a rabbit. She crept towards the clump of ferns that were resting at the edge of the clearing. I watched her every move, watching the way her muscles moved and how she put one paw this way instead of that way. '''''
The vixen suddenly pounced and a wail of pain was cut short. I let out a yowl of triumph as the vixen came back with a large brown rabbit in her jaws.
“You did it!” I yowled, pouncing around her. She dropped her rabbit, her emerald-green eyes 
shining with amusement.
“Yes, now calm down, or the others won’t get a chance to catch their own,” she said, scolding me by flicking me on the nose with the tip of her tail. I sneezed and looked up at her. 
“Can we eat this now?” I asked, excitement bubbling up again. 
The vixen nodded and picked up the rabbit in her jaws. I followed her as we went deeper into the undegrowth and I settled down beside her. I was only half her size, but when she curled her tail, I fit perfectly into it. The vixen tore of a leg and gave it to me. 
“Here, try it. The legs are the best part,” she said, nudging the piece towards me. I clambered out of my sitting position and sniffed it curiously. I dragged it into the curve of her tail and started munching on it. To my surprise, it was delicious.
“Careful you don’t mess up my fur now,” the vixen added jokingly as I tore into the leg.
I looked up at her as I finished my leg. “More?” 
“Sure.” 
As I was handed more of the rabbit, I realized that life was content. This was how things should always be. After we both finished out meal, she curled up around me sleepily. I was sleepy too. '''''
Nothing makes a fox more sleepy than eating a full rabbit in a warm, sun-lit clearing. 
I closed my eyes and fell asleep. 
A few hours later I woke up. The vixen had her head upright, her ears twitching from one side to another. 
“What’s wrong?” I grumbled sleepily. “I’m still tired.” 
“It’s starting to get dark,” the vixen said hurriedly. She picked me up by the scruff and I let out a yowl of protest. “Come on, we have to get back.” 
“Get back where? Can we sleep there?” I moaned. I let out a squeak as I bumped against the rocks that were in our path. “Hey, watch it!” 
“We better hurry, before the Stalkers come,” the vixen said, ignoring my squeaks. “We don’t want to fall into any of their traps. They come most often at night.” 
“The Stalkers?” I yawned. “What about them? Aren’t they just big lumbering creatures?” 
“They’re more than that, sometimes,” the vixen replied, continuing on. Eventually we came to our den and she gently laid me down the hole. She scrambled in down after me. I scuttled over to our mossy nest and curled up again. '''''
“I’m going back to sleep,” I declared, half-asleep already. 
The vixen smiled and curled up around me.
I yawned and darkness flowed over me.
'''
Category:Literature
Category:Original Stories
Category:Original Stories (Unfinished)
Category:Fiction