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Coming at ya, another chapter of this very old story. I've been using F2U photos from Unsplash, just FYI

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“Fox?! Fox, where are you? Firefox called. She was lying down in a pile of dead leaves in a dark forest. All Firefox could remember was that she and Fox were walking in the woods, when suddenly something hit her on the head, and she was out cold. Now she was awake, but the world was spinning and coming in and out of focus.

“Fox?!” Firefox called again.

Suddenly, an eerie howl echoed in the distance. That’s when she remembered what’d happened. Wolf had jumped on Fox before Firefox blacked out. Firefox covered her ears as the howling got closer and closer, louer and louder. Then, there was nothing Only the silence of the night came to Firefox’s ears.

Firefox was wandering whether she was imagining the howling, when the leaves around her began to rustle. As the rustling got closer, Firefox could feel herself sliping into oblivion again. “Fox! Fox….Fox….F….” Firefox saw the darkness swiling around her as she fell….fell fell….

Firefox woke up screaming and drenched with sweat.

Fox awoke next to her with a start. He flipped on the light, and suddenly they were back in Fox’s room in their vacation home.

“Firefox, are you OK?” Fox asked.

“Yeah….I just had a bad dream….” Firefox breathed.

“Oh….Whoa! What happened to your ear?” Fox asked, pointing.

“What’s wrong with….” Firefox reached up and touched her left ear. When she brought back her paw to her face it was covered in red, sticky stuff. Blood.

Firefox ran into the bathroom, and began to wash the blood from her ear. Once she was all dried off, she turned around. Wolf stood in the doorway, his fur caked with blood and his mouth stained red. In his paw was Fox’s comunication device. His bloody comunication device.

Wolf grinned evily. “Mmm, tastes like chicken!” He said, and licked his lips.

Firefox screamed and woke up again, this time alone in her own room in their rental home. She let out a sigh of relief as Fox came in throught the doorway.

“Hey, you’re up.” Fox said cheerfully.

Firefox rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and stood up out of bed. “Mornin’ Foxy.” She said groggily.

“Bad dream?” Fox guessed.

“Yeah. That movie I watched last night….gave me nightmares.” Firefox replied.

“I told you not to watch A Haunting in Connecticut.” Fox told her.

“And you expected me to listen?” Firefox joked.

Fox chuckled. “C’mon, breakfast’s ready.” Fox extended his arm out to Firefox so she could take it.

The first person to greet the couple upstairs was Falco.

“G’mornin’, Mrs. McCloud.” Falco said, handing Firefox a smoothie.

Firefox punched Falco on the shoulder. All Falco did was snicker and walk away.

Fox pulled Firefox over to the table and they both sat down. Firefox took a sip off her smoothie, and turned to Fox.

“So, Fox, what did you eat for breakfast?” She asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I’m not hungry.” Fox replied.

Firefox set her glass down, and glared at him. “Shuuurrre you’re not.” She said.

“I’m serious!” Fox exclaimed.

Firefox was about to comment, but was interupted by the sound of Fox’s stomach grumbling loudly.

“Well, your tummy begs to difer.” Denali smiled, and placed a plate piled with toast, eggs, and some doughnuts in front of them.

Firefox saw the regret begining to form in Fox’s eyes as he slowly reached for a oughtnut. Two minutes later, he was still reaching. Firefox rolled her eyes. “Just eat something!” She urged.

Firefox shoved a doughnut under Fox’s nose, and he took a small bite. The first bite of a doughnut he’d had in, well, a day. Fox scarfed down the doughnut, and gorged himself on several more while Firefox ate a piece of toast.

Ugh, why do doughnuts have to taste so good? Fox thought. Stop eating them! You’re fat enough as it is! Regretfully, Fox pushed the plate away.

“Cut yourself some slack, dear!” Phoenix exclaimed.

Fox turned to look at the owl sadly.

"Uncle Fox! Uncle Fox!"

It was Dexter. He ran up to them and sat down next to Fox.

"Hey, Dexter." Fox smiled.


"Hey Uncle Fox? Why did you take so long to eat those doughnuts? You used to eat them in seconds flat! Is there Something wrong? Did you wake up with a tummy ache or something? Are you ill?" Dexter asked.

"I think your Uncle Fox is trying to loose a little weight." Phoenix told him.

"Oh. Why?" Dexter asked.

"So….so his belt will fit a little better around his tummy." Phoenix replied.

"OK. But, why…." Dexter was interupted by Kristopherson, Jacob, and Zip, who all ran up to him screaming excitedly.

“Come on, Dexter! Come play with us!” Zip exclaimed.

“But….I’m trying to talk to Uncle Fox….” Dexter said.

“Don’t worry, Dex. I’m not really going anywhere. I’ll catch up with you later.” Said Fox.

“Okay.” Dexter hopped off his chair, and joined his cousins.

Phoenix sat in his place, and began to eat her breakfast. It took her a while to to realize Firefox was staring at her. Phoenix guiltily looked at Firefox, then Fox, back and forth a couple times. “What?” Phoenix asked.

“Really, your reason to Fox’s neglection of the doughnuts was that he was trying to loose weight so his belt will fit a little better around his tummy? It’s on the third loop-thingy.” Firefox replied.

“Well, it was either that, or I told him the real version, and he’d ask a million questions; Why, how, whooo.” Phoenix hooted loudly on the last word.

Firefox blinked and picked up her smoothie glass again.

“She’s got a point ya know. I’d rather have Dexter thinking that my belt dosn’t realy fit around my tummy than him hovering over me like a ghost; asking me questions all day.” Fox pointe out.

Firefox hesitated. “This….is true. Good thinking, Phoenix.” She said.

“Thank you very much….” Phoenix’s voice faded away as she blanked out sort of. For about a minut, she just sat there, staring off into space.

Firefox was about to shake Phoenix out of it, when the owl came back from wherever she was with a start.

“Great Glaux, it’s a beautiful day outside! You two should go for a walk!” Phoenix suggested.

“Hey, that’s a good idea. Wadaya say, Fox?” Firefox asked.

“I’m game.” Fox replied, thankful for an excuse to get away from the taunting doughnuts. Just as they were about to walk downstairs, Phoenix flew in and blocked them.

“Make sure you take the path towards the ocean, not away from it!” Phoenix half yelled half told them.

“Um….ok….We’ll see ya later, Phoenix.” Firefox smiled awkwardly, and led Fox downstairs and outside.

Phoenix chuckled. “Wait till they see….” She said.