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Down at the bottom of the ladder back in the sewer, Mr. and Mrs. Fox waited. “These darn kids.” Mr. Fox said, in reminiscence over what Ash had told him. “They have a cuss-load of brilliance and guts, I’ll give them that. I just can’t believe they thought going out there at night would be safe.”
“Promise me,” Mrs. Fox said, putting a hand on her mate’s shoulder, “that you’ll consider what Ash told you, as hard as it may be?” Mr. Fox nodded.
“I promise honey. This family is the first priority. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Kristopherson and Agnes soon met the two adults, silence settling between the two groups.
“Having a stroll in the moonlight?” Mr. Fox asked.
“No uncle.” Kristopherson said. “We went to see the school. We met the professor who domesticates animals. He offered to meet all of us tomorrow at 10AM to see what he can do with things.”
Mr. Fox sighed. “Uncle, please, consider this. I admit it, some of it doesn’t make sense to me, but it has to be better than what we were just through.”
EVERYONE thinks things will go back to the way they were…. Mr. Fox thought grimly. He had to admit, perhaps they would.
Mr. Fox turned the the pair. “Well, doesn’t seem we have a choice. Don’t want to keep the good man waiting. We’ll meet this guy tomorrow.” He said, crossing his arms.
“Thank you uncle. I know this will help.”
“I sure as cuss hope so.” Mr. Fox said, turning to go. With that, the four dwindled off to their sleeping quarters. Ash was already asleep when Kristopherson entered. Silently, Kristopherson laid down on his bed and went to sleep, sleep coming quickly, despite his anxiousness for tomorrow morning.

“Alright everyone,” Mr. Fox said, calling to the rest of the animals in the sewer in a prep-rally fashion the next morning. “I’m sure all of you have been reading the human interest stories, and probably hoping I have as well. Well, my family and I are going to meet with this professor, whatever his name,” he said, throwing his hands around, “and see what he can do for us. I’m not sure what that’ll mean for the rest of you, but I hope something can be done.
I have to admit, it would only be a matter of time before Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, would notice we’re stealing from their grocery store and everything would be ‘the same as before’. As much as I feel we can evade the inevitable – may just be the wild animal in me – something needs to change. We can’t keep running, we can’t keep stealing, and quite frankly, I see no other option. So, hopefully, we can basically be assured of a home, food for most of us, and some semblance of permanent security. I wish the rest of you my best, and I hope that you will all meet the same fortune I hope my family and I can achieve.”
Despite what Mr. Fox expected, he was rewarded with cheers from his friends. “Alright then, glad to see everyone is in favor for this.” He turned to his family, Kristopherson, and Agnes. “Let’s go.” One after the other, as the other animals filed back to their quarters for breakfast, the Fox family, Agnes and Kristopherson all climbed the ladder leading to the grocery store single-file.
Mr. Fox peered around once he reached the top, noted it was too early for any humans to be around, and quickly his company snuck out into the morning sunlight. Quickly Mr. Fox took over the situation and led them through what available brush and trees went from the store to the school. “Which building is it, guys?” Mr. Fox asked the kids.
Ash pointed to the science building, and Mr. Fox nodded. “Alright, we’ll wait until this Jackson shows himself.” They waited, using the school’s outdoor clock for reference. It was 9:30. Human students filed out of the science building at around 9:45, and Professor Jackson followed, checked his watch, then stood outside the building, looking about.
“There he is,” Agnes said, pointing. Mr. Fox checked the man out.
“Hmm, he seems decent.” Mr. Fox paused, then noticed the professor was looking at the brush behind the school building. Mr. Fox stood up, and left the safety of the brush. The professor beamed, walking quickly up to the brush.
“Mr. Fox I assume?” The man said, kneeling down to the fox’s level.
“Professor Jackson.” Mr. Fox said, extending a hand.
The professor took the tiny paw and shook it. “A gentlemen too. I’ll bring a carrier-” The professor turned to go, but Mr. Fox stopped him.
“Wait a second, we can’t go into some cage.”
The professor turned around, looking a little saddened. “Mr. Fox, no students can see you all walking in a line like a quail family. Please, it’s the only way I know of. If I knew a saner way, I’d do so.”
Mr. Fox sighed. “Alright, bring it here.”
The professor left hastily, then returned with a cage under one arm. He set it down and opened the door, Mr. Fox held his arm out to the open door for his other fox companions. Once everyone was inside, the professor latched it up and walked back to his science building. “I’m very sorry for all of this, especially to you, Mrs. Fox. I had no idea it wasn’t in either of your interests accept your children to do this. I trust your opinions have changed some?”
Mr. and Mrs. Fox looked up, Mr. Fox speaking for the two. “My wife was all for it, I just had the hardest time at it.”
“Mmm, a bit of a strong string of wild in you still, Mr. Fox?” Mr. Fox nodded. “That’s quite alright. Just so you all know, these experiments will be completely painless, no electroshock or flim-flammery of that sort. It’s not even mandatory that you essentially LIVE with humans, just be under a human’s care, so you don’t get sick or undernourished, but I assure you the lifestyle you already live, besides the grungy conditions of your previous home, will remain the same.”
As Jackson said this, he carried the group from the outside into his private office and set them on a table, where he let them all out. Once that was done, he sat down in his office chair and said. “So, my companions. Tell me something about yourselves? I’d like to know you a little before we start this process.”
“I’ve been stealing for a living, Professor, but lately I’ve been working as a newspaper man, writing a column no one seems to care about reading…”
“Hmm, really?” The professor said, looking genuinely intrigued. “I’ll have to read it. Hopefully we could arrange someway I could have a look at your newspapers.” The professor smiled.
Mrs. Fox spoke up. “I’ve helped my husband hunt, until I became pregnant with Ash here,” she said, motioning to her son, “now I’m just a stay-at-home mother.”
The professor nodded. “A marvelous sacrifice, madam, to be sure. And I trust that it was the birth of your fine son here that your husband changed professions.”
Mrs. Fox looked at her husband warily. “Not entirely. His instincts kept him from taking to the social life.”
The professor took a more focused look. “Mmhmm. I see. I wanted to ask you, Mr. Fox,” he said, turning his attention politely to the older male, “do you do any recreation? Exercise?”
Mr. Fox shook his head. “No sir, I haven’t.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. One thing that I’ve always recommended to my - forgive the expression - patients, is if one is restless in stealing or general zeal in energy, is to consult them with exercise or something that keeps their wits about them. It’s almost like hormones, actually. However, there may be times were recreation isn’t possible, say, in the middle of the night when you wake up aching for a bird between your teeth.”
Mr. Fox salivated, and wiped his mouth quickly.
The doctor smiled. “THAT is the tricky part. It can be conquered, but it takes a bit of training. But, that’s for another day. Mrs. Fox, please continue.”
“The children here, are all, in a way, my own. Ash, as I told you, is my son, Kristopherson my nephew, and Agnes here, a friend of the family. They go to school in the valley….”
“Where is that?” Professor Jackson asked.
“On the other side of the river.”
“My! That’s remarkable. Are their jobs they plan to undertake?”
“There’s many jobs around the valley, small businesses run by the animals there, yes.” Mrs. Fox said, wringing her apron nervously.
“Well, if I may,” Jackson said, politely interrupting, “I believe there will be a way to keep your children’s schooling/job searching in with whatever community you end up living with. The last batch of foxes I worked with had no socializing, meer earth dwellers only the same as you by means of physicality and mentality, but didn’t go to school or acquire jobs. Their place was with families who treated them as pets, which went favorably. It seems that if you all were brought into a preserve of sorts, you could continue your lives as normal with occasional human assistance. There is one family who owns about twelve acres of untouched land right outside their home, and besides basic brush removal to keep everything from being lost in possible fire, the land remains untouched. Would it be a possibility to have, if anything, a meeting with the owners of this land?”
There was a general silence, which appeared to be a conceded consensus. “This couple,” Mr. Jackson said, continuing as though nothing had happened, “wouldn’t disturb you or your family, or even require any interaction with you, unless you wanted them too.” Mr. Fox nodded. He was beginning to like the possibility.
“Why would they be so generous with their land?” He asked.
“This couple, the Jets, are conservatives, environmental activists to a point. They wouldn’t hurt a living creature.” At this point Dr. Jackson looked at each fox member on his desk, consider each of their opinions as valid as the group consulted aloud.
“It’s sounds promising,” Agnes said, Kristopherson nodding in agreement.
“I’ll do it.” Ash said simply.
“I’ll have the meeting with this couple.” Mr. Fox said, not stating a positive or a negative.
Mr. Jackson understood and nodded.
“Alright, then I’ll schedule you to meet the Jets at their home, which would work best for them, at the same time we met today, if that works with you all?”
Five fox heads nodded. Mr. Jackson nodded. “Alright, thank you for coming to see me. I hope the best for you and all your friends.”
Mr. Jackson shook paws, wrote the address down for Mr. Fox, led the group back to the brush outside his building, and let them go on their way…