Well, here it is, the beginning of my grand tale. Rest assured that even if you happened to read the old, shorter story in Chai's profile, and you thought you knew the whole story, you'll be pleaseatly surprised from the very beginning.

Feel free to post your comments and feedback here between parts, I'd love to hear from anyone who thinks this is worth reading!

Now without further ado, The Story of Chai the Fox...

-------Prologue-------

Somewhere over the rainbow, there is hidden a far off land land, a nation, actually; its name? Imagination, of course! It is a land where a bird in the hand is actually worth two in the bush, you can never ever find a needle in a haystack, and the grass is always greener on the other side. Every cloud has a silver lining, every rainbow has a pot of gold at the end, and when you wish upon a star, your dreams really do come true. Of course, now, I could go on, but I’ve much grander things to tell of. (And besides, I’m beginning to run out of old proverbs and things to quote). Now, this place is, in fact, closer than you may think; some people just have a harder time getting there than others, but those who have been fortunate enough to make it to this realm have returned with some wondrous stories. I too, have been there and back many, many times, and this tale I will now tell is but one of many of the treasures I have found.

My tale takes place in and around a vast woodland; The animals simply know and refer to it as the Great Forest, and it is called by the humans, Emerald Woods, or more poetically, ‘Sea of Leaves’. But this story revolves around the animals, so we’ll stick with their place names. Now, as you’d expect of the forest animals, they are afraid of these strange, potentially dangerous creatures called humans.

There are stories and legends passed around the forest of how humans could kill you whenever they felt like it, even from far away, so long as you were within sight; that the last thing you hear is a loud, sudden noise, and then everything goes dark. The bodies of those who succumbed to this fate would often be taken by the humans and not a trace left. As a result of these stories and the fear they instilled in the wild creatures, no wild animal will ever let humans get too close to them. However, with any rule, there comes one who would break the rule; the exception. It is this exception that is always worth stopping to look and see.

And with that, the stage is set and everything is ready, so let us dive into the Sea of Leaves, and I’ll tell you the story of one famous animal that became known throughout the Great Forest for breaking the mold, the tale of the one who was different – The adventures of Chai the fox.

-----End Prologue-----

---Part 1: What Lies Ahead---

The Great Forest had always been a quiet place, for as long as anyone cared to remember. The blowing of the wind through the trees, the chirping and chattering of the birds and the squirrels, and the occasional low rumbling of one of those strange human contraptions passing on the road high up on top of the northern slope, which seldom caused any alarm down below. But never before had the forest been this quiet; there were no chirps and chatters, for the birds had been frightened away and the squirrels were huddled up tight in their holes; even the wind had stopped blowing. Everything was ominously still in this little corner of the woods. Only moments ago, the silent rumbling noise of a passing human vehicle had been followed by a sudden racket, frightening everyone in the area. No one dared get near the area where the mysterious object came tumbling and bumping down the ravine, finally landing with a resounding crash. None knew what it meant, and no one was brave enough to go and find out. Half an hour passed in the silence, and at length, one creature, just one creature, managed to gather the courage to venture forth, and find out what had happened.

“…What could it be?” A young vixen whispered softly to herself, inching unsteadily across the forest floor. She was about two years old, of an average build. Her fur was a pale red-orange color on top, and tawny underneath. Her back legs had the characteristic black stockings of a Red Fox, but her front legs stood out from the rest of her body with a bright red color. From the top of her head to the tip of her tail ran a stripe of pale red, which in some light looked almost pinkish. The day had started off like any other summer day, with the hunt for breakfast, then an afternoon nap in the shade, followed by an evening stroll and then dinner. But those plans changed in the afternoon, when her nap was interrupted without warning by the thunderous crash of some strange box-like object tumbling down the ravine. The next thing she knew she was suddenly wide awake and there were birds flying out of the trees yelling about some strange thing crashing in the woods. Bewildered and still too shocked to do anything but wait for her heart to slow down and catch her breath, she had been the only one left in the area 5 minutes later. Now she was carefully making her way to where the sound had come from. Although she was afraid of this object, which had apparently fallen from one of those noisy human contraptions on the road above, she was overwhelmed by curiosity at the same time. Humans and anything to do with them were supposed to be real bad news, but she hadn’t heard any noise since the crash; there was no sound coming from the object that had fallen, besides that resounding smash, but her sensitive animal nose picked up something new from that direction. “I think it’s a fox,” she whispered to herself, “but I don't recognize the scent - who could it be?” As she got closer, she could hear a faint crying coming from a clearing up ahead. She became even more curious now, and a little concerned. “It sounds like a little kit crying, but what would a kit be doing out here? I don’t know anyone around here with kits?” She hurried on, any fear forgotten; if it was a little kit, after all, she couldn’t just leave it, could she? “Almost there…”

End Part 1

Stay tuned for "Part 2: A Tail of Two Foxes", coming real soon!

cool stuff keep it up

Will do, cloud!

---Part 2: A Tail of Two Foxes---

The crying was coming from a small clearing just up ahead, at the edge of the forest. Or at least it had been coming from around there; it had stopped just before she arrived. Slowly and cautiously, the vixen poked her head out from the bush. The scent of the fox kit was strong, so this must have been the place. As she looked about, she saw nothing but scattered pieces of a strange, hard material. Large and small they were strewn about, as if something had exploded; whatever it was must have shattered upon hitting the bottom of the slope. But where was that crying she had heard? The coast seemed clear, so she relaxed a bit and stepped out into the clearing, sniffing about the ground as she tried to locate that scent. Just then she spotted it; In the middle of the wreckage, the largest fragment of debris was shaking, shivering. Carefully, she sniffed at it; the scent of fox was coming from right here, but where was the fox? As she sniffed, her nose nudged the object and, as it slid a bit to the side, she gave a little gasp; there underneath the wreckage was not a kit, but a young fox probably about her age, curled up and shivering. As she just stood there surprised, not sure what to do or say, one eye opened, and made eye contact with her for a split second.

“AAAAHHH!” “WAAAGH!!”

Both foxes jumped up scared, and gave a cry, and for the next five seconds, there was tension in the air, and total silence as they waited for their hearts to slow back down. The vixen stood tensed as if ready to run at any second, the other fox was sprawled out on the ground staring nervously up at her. As she caught her breath, the vixen took her first good look at the newcomer, a male fox about the same size as her, but with a more average build. He was the generic rusty red vulpine color with a white underside, and a black ring on his tail, which ended with a white tip. His legs had the standard black stockings except for his left front, which was all white instead.

As she finally regained her self, the vixen relaxed and chuckled a bit. “I guess we’re both a little jumpy, huh?” The other fox sighed. She could see now he had a tear in his eye, so he had been the one crying. “It’s okay, there’s no one around right now but us; the big crash scared everyone away for now. I’m Rosemary, but you can just call me Rose or even Rosie if you want. You aren’t hurt, are you? That was quite the drop that thing took on your head.” The other fox sat up shakily and tried to manage a smile, but just couldn’t. “Mmphh”, he mumbled weakly. “Yeah, I think I’m fine…But that ‘thing’ didn’t fall on top of me, I was inside it, and next thing I know I’m...” he looked around, at the broken pieces around him, then up at the slope, than all around him. “…to be honest, I have no clue where I am. Oh yeah, my name’s Chai.”. “Inside that thing?!” said Rose in surprise, “What in the world were you doing inside that thing, in one of those loud rumbling human thingies?! It’s a wonder you’re still alive after that!” Chai looked taken aback at this. “Well…I always travel to the vet and back in there, or at least I used to; the farmer drives me home in his truck, and…” “Wait a sec, Chai, your making no sense whatsoever. When I want to travel, I just walk, like everyone else. And are you crazy? What fox in his right mind would ever get anywhere near a human? What if you got killed?”

Now both foxes had this are-you-crazy-or-what look on their faces. Chai spoke up in an confused voice. “Huh? What’s wrong with humans? You sound like their scary monsters out to get me or something? Anyway, I’m stuck here, wherever here is, and I don’t think ever I’ll be able to get back home. I don’t know what to do anymore. All I know is I’m lost and scared and I want to go home…” Rosemary gave him a strange look, but tried her best to speak calmly; this new fox was still shaking, clearly he was very nervous for some reason, so she didn’t want to make things worse. “Chai, what happened to your head; you sure you didn’t hit it on the way down? Chai, humans ARE scary, dangerous creatures; my dad once told me they could kill you just like that. And you can’t be too far from home, really; this is the northeast corner of the Great Forest. Where in the Forest do you live?” Now Chai looked even more confused. “I…I don’t live in the forest…I don’t even know anything about this forest…” He was still nervously looking about, clearly lost. Rose was bewildered at this. “Huh? Come on, silly, you know that can’t be right; I don’t know of any foxes that don’t live here in the forest – this is where we’re born, and this is where we live. My mother says that all foxes know how where is where in the forest; she taught me almost everything I know; Chai, didn’t your mother teach you about the forest?”

At the mention of her dad, she noticed that something seemed to trigger in Chai’s mind, he seemed to be trying to remember something – or trying not to remember, one or the other. And when she had asked about his mother, it seemed to make things even worse. A tear came to his eye, then a bigger tear, and by the time she finished speaking, he was standing there shaking and shivering again, trying his hardest not to cry, yet the tears had already started coming and would not stop. Utterly bewildered and worried now, and not knowing what else to do, Rosemary walked up beside him, and tried to apologise. “Oh, Chai, I’m so sorry, was it something I said? I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything, honest.” But by this time, the other fox was lying curled up on the ground again, crying just like before. Rosemary nudged him softly with her nose to try and get his attention, and started gently licking the tears off his face. “Oh, stop crying before I start crying too; listen, Chai, I know my way around here, so maybe I can help you get home. Just please stop crying and tell me what’s wrong?” Somehow, she had the feeling this was just the beginning of a very long day…

---End part 2---

Coming soon - Part 3: Not Your Average Fox

Side note: You'll notice I changed the name of part 3; It really doesnt matter, but I decided the new name was more appropriate...

-----Part 3: Emotion Commotion-----

Curled up on the ground, crying, Chai wished this was all a bad dream and he could wake up. It wasn’t her fault; the images of his mother and father had all come back, just like that, and he couldn’t help himself. Those painful memories had once again returned; he had hoped to never again think about these things, but he was stuck with it all no matter what he tried to do. Rosemary was offering to help him, he could hear her, but try as he might, he couldn’t respond through his tears; he knew the feeling well, for he had succumbed to it before, but not for what seemed like ages. There were few things that could snap him out of this sorrow, all of them long gone. Suddenly, he felt something; it was Rose, trying to console him. The way she gently licked his tears away, it seemed so…familiar, so comforting. He slowly stopped crying; the sadness melting away. He didn’t know why, but he felt better all of a sudden; it was strange, but somehow, just for a moment, he felt a little closer to home. Taking a deep breath, he slowly sat up. “Rose…Thank you. I really needed that. I’m really sorry – it wasn’t your fault at all, I - I just miss home, that’s all. Anyhow, it’s very nice of you to offer to help me; are you sure I’m not too crazy for you? Because I get the feeling I’m going to seem a lot stranger when you really get to know me.” As he spoke, he smiled for the first time since she had met him. Rosemary looked relieved now; she grinned at him. “Good to see your feeling better now, I was kind of worried about you.” All around them, the forest seemed to have sprung back to life; the birds and squirrels were back and noisy as ever, a gentle breeze once again blew between the leaves, and everything just seemed lively again. “Don’t worry about me, a little change of pace will be more interesting. Now, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t have dinner yet, and I’m feeling hungry; how about we do a little hunting, and then I have an idea where we could start looking for your home.”

Rosemary could hear his stomach rumbling; he was definitely hungry too. But then he frowned “Rose, um, this probably sounds strange, but…I…I don’t know how to hunt.” Rosie gave him a strange look. “First you don’t know anything about the Forest, and now you don’t know how to hunt. Chai, did your mother and father teach you anything?” Right then, Chai looked as if he might cry again. Rose silently held her breath, but he just sighed. “Rosie, I don’t have a father…or a mother…” A tear came to his eye, as the vixen looked on, stunned. He continued “You see…my father was killed years ago, when I was little.” Rose was taken aback by this, as he continued. “And mother, she…she…” Chai trailed off, looking like he was about to cry. The vixen moved in closer, and once more licked the tears from his face, and tried her best to comfort him. “Chai, I didn’t know…I’m so sorry. This is why you were in tears before, too, huh?” Chai nodded in silence, blinking back more tears.

“I am so sorry, Chai, really I am, I never realized….Listen, how about I get food for both of us tonight, and you can tell me all about it over dinner; talking about it might help you feel better.” Rosemary’s soft voice was comforting to him. Cheering up a little, he replied “Well, okay, if it isn’t too much trouble for you to hunt for the both of us…” “Oh, don’t be silly, Chai, how else do you plan on eating tonight if you can't hunt? I can catch an extra rabbit or two, no problem. And tomorrow we can set off looking for your home, and if you want, I can teach you how to hunt.” Chai looked surprised. “Really? You’d do that for a stranger like me? That’s awfully nice of you.” “Aw, it’s nothing, really. It’d be my pleasure, Chai, come on!” And with that, the two of them walked into the woods together. As he left, Chai took one last backwards glance at the shattered plastic crate in the clearing and sighed. He was beginning to feel really confused and overwhelmed by all this new stuff. But all that could wait, he decided. Right now, it was time to find some dinner!

Meanwhile, as the pair set out into the woods, gossip spread amongst the squirrels and the birds about the new fox in the area. The word traveled far across the sea of leaves, but as usual, most of the ears below the trees took no more notice to the chatter than to the blowing of the wind and the rustling of the leaves. But somewhere in the woods, not too far away from our pair of foxes, one particular pair of ears pricked up and listened, very interested, to the latest word in the woods. “Hmm?…This I’ve got to see…”

---End Part 3---

Ooh, who do these new ears belong to? stay tuned for Part 4: Lost and Found...[/b]

-----Part 4: Lost and Found-----

As she walked, Rosemary thought about the perplexing male fox beside her. He didn’t know how to hunt, or his way around the forest, and though he was old as she, he cried like a little kit who missed his mother. Of course, this sort of figured, seeing as his parents were dead. At any rate, he probably had a lot to learn about the forest and it’s ways, and she was going to be the one to teach him. Rosemary loved the forest and everything about it; she loved the rushing of the river and the blowing of the wind, the rustle of the leaves and the rays of sunlight that filtered down through the treetops and lit up the ground in little patches. The food was plentiful, and the water was fresh and clear. Although she didn’t understand how a fox could not know of the Great Forest, or why one would ever want to leave the forest, Rose was excited to teach her new friend Chai all about this wonderful place; surely he would love it here just as much as she did.

But all her thoughts were constantly interrupted by her stomach, so she wasn’t able to think about it for long. Best get some dinner first, talk later. “Alright, Chai, we can stop here; right around here is the hunting ground I use. There’s plenty of food, enough that me and the other foxes in the area share it. Most of the time, good hunting spots like this are marked as a certain fox’s property, and there is occasional squabbling. But this spot has more than enough prey right now for several foxes to share it and still have enough food, so its sort of a ‘community hunting ground’ for the time being.” Chai, who had been silent since leaving the clearing where he had first arrived, was looking around confusedly. “How do you find your way around, anyway? All these trees look the same to me…” “When you live here all your life, it doesn’t take long to learn where everything is. You’ll figure it out eventually, Chai, don’t worry. Now, you can follow me and watch me hunt, or you can look around if you want. Just try and stay quiet, okay? It will make it a lot easier for me and anyone else here to hunt that way.” Chai nodded, and then looked around. “I think I’ll explore a little. You wont be too long?” Rosemary smiled at him. “I’ll only be maybe five minutes, I think. Maybe a bit longer if the animals here haven’t come out of hiding yet. Your big crash really frightened everyone, you know. I’ll come looking for you when I’m finished here, so you can take your time.” Chai nodded to her. “I wont go too far, I think; I don’t feel like getting lost right now. Good luck with your hunting, Rose!” With that, he quietly trotted off to explore.

Alone with his thoughts, and his hungry stomach, Chai already felt kind of lost, but he knew that he’d only have to follow Rose’s scent to find her if he wanted. Listening carefully, he noticed the sound of flowing water not too far away. Following the sound, he found a small river flowing through the woods. He took a drink, and found it was the freshest, most delicious water that he had ever tasted. “Wow…The water back home was nothing like this!…” Chai had to admit that as much as he already missed home, this place wasn’t that bad; the air was cool and crisp, the water was clear and tasty, and the evening breeze felt good blowing against his face. Done with his drink, he found a comfy spot under a nearby tree and lay down to rest. As long as he was stuck here in the forest, he might as well try to enjoy himself, he decided. He began to think about all that had happened. One moment, the day had been perfectly normal, and the next, BAM! Everything had changed. He found himself in this forest, probably far away from home, with no way his family would be able to find him. It was as if his whole world had been shattered all over again. He had been scared and alone when he’d woken up in the woods, and all he could do was cry and cry. Then he had met Rosemary, who was very nice, and she offered to help him. And the way she’d been able to snap him out of his sadness and calm him so easily, it felt as if his mom was there beside him, calming him down.

Chai realised how weird it must’ve seemed that he didn’t know how to hunt, or navigate the forest, but he’d never been taught to hunt, because he had no real mother to teach him. And he hadn’t lived in a forest since that day two years ago. Just the memory of that afternoon was enough to bring tears to his eyes once again. “Hey you!” Chai jumped what must have been a foot in the air at the voice. “Rosemary?” A vixen stepped out of the brush behind him. She was the same rusty tone of red as Chai’s fur, except both her front legs had black stockings, and the backs of her ears were also black, as well as the tip of her tail. “Rosemary? I’m sorry, Rose is back there hunting; I’m just a friend of hers. So, your the new fox I’ve heard about, huh?” Chai nervously took a step back, slightly intimidated; By her tone of voice, This new vixen didn’t sound too thrilled he was here. “Umm…yeah?” “I just bumped into her” the vixen continued, “She told me about how you have no parents and all. I guess then I can’t blame you for bawling like a kit, can I?” Chai sighed as she continued. “Listen, kid, I know how you feel. But you gotta stop feeling sorry for yourself; these things do happen from time to time, but you have to move on. A wise old fox once told me this: ‘If you’re focused on what you’ve left behind, you will not be able to see what lies ahead.’ If you don’t get over it, it is like a heavy load on your back that you can’t get rid of.” Chai stared at her as she said this…she was making an unusual amount of sense to him….yet he still doubted she could really understand how he felt.

Chai couldn’t help but wonder who this vixen was – she was the same age as him more or less, and she seemed pushy and indifferent, yet understanding at the same time. “Hey, you got a name, fox?” Chai looked around nervously. “My name is Chai…and you see, I don’t…” “Chai?” the vixen repeated, her hardened expression softening all of a sudden. She came closer, and sniffed his fur, as he stood there bewildered at this sudden change in her attitude. After a second, the vixen took a step back, but it was like she had changed completely. “…Chai? You…are you-… But I- you…” She stood there stammering, wide eyed. She no longer seemed all loud and overbearing like she had when she first appeared. “Chai? Your- I mean- Is it really- huh?” Just then, Chai noticed Rosemary’s head popping out a nearby bush, looking surprised. Noticing her, the new vixen hurriedly pulled herself together. “Oh shoot - Look, Chai, I really gotta get going. Here, quick, take this!” she ducked into the bush and pulled out a large, plump, rabbit. “Rose caught it and asked me to bring it to you. Now I gotta run, but I’ll catch up with you two some other time, I promise!” And with that, she disappeared through the brush; but before she was out of view entirely, she looked backwards, smiled, and gave him a mysterious wink, leaving him and Rose standing there. Chai looked, bewildered, at her, only to see the stupefied expression on her face. “What the heck was that?” she asked. Chai looked in the direction the vixen had disappeared. “Huh? You tell me and we’ll both know.”

Both foxes looked at each other with an utterly bewildered look on their faces; Rose was the first to speak up. “That was Ginger you just met; she lives nearby me, and yeah, she’s always like that, always that pushy, assertive attitude. She’s my friend, but trust me, she gets on my nerves sometimes. Anyway, I saw her just now while I was hunting, and she asked me about the new fox that was hanging out with me. How she knew about it, I’m not sure, she always does that to me. I didn’t have time to tell her much before she looked ready to go find you herself, so I asked her if she’d do me a favour and help me bring one of my catches to you; I couldn’t carry two of these big rabbits myself, see? Next thing I knew, she ran ahead of me, and when I arrived, well...I’ve never seen Ginger act like that before. She always acts tough and fearless, but right there, before you two noticed me, she totally broke down; she looked as if she’d seen a ghost!” Chai looked back towards where Ginger had vanished into the trees; he just couldn’t get her out of his head for some reason. “I honestly don’t know what happened there, but-“ All of a sudden he was interrupted by his stomach again. He sighed “Oh well, how about we just settle down and have dinner, and hope she comes around again some other time?”

The two foxes took their meal to a shady spot underneath a nearby tree, where they had a nice view of the river. As they sat down, Chai sniffed at his rabbit. “Well, dig in!” Chai hesitated for a second, then tore off a piece of meat. “Mmm, this is actually pretty good!” “Delicious, huh, Chai? I told you, this is one of the best hunting spots this side of the Great Forest. Now eat up; The safest place for food is in your belly, where nobody can steal it from you. Now, if it’s okay with you, could you tell me how you ended up with no parents? I’m a little curious, and like I said, talking might help you feel better. But it’s your choice if you want to or not, Chai…”

Chai was about half finished his rabbit when he looked up at her. “Well…okay, after I finish eating, I think.” Blood now covered both their muzzles, and Chai didn’t think he ever had eaten a messier, or tastier meal. He grinned at her. “This is the most delicious meal I’ve ever had, Rose, Thank you for hunting for me tonight.” “No problem, Chai, it’s my pleasure!” As he finished his food, Chai thought about the forest, and how wonderful it must be for Rose to live here all her life. He missed home dearly, but this would certainly do for now. His thoughts turned back to that day two years ago as he got ready to tell her the real story behind the loss of his parents. Inside, he was really nervous; how would she react when she learned the real truth about his parent’s death? And why that Ginger vixen keep popping back into his thoughts with her mysterious wink?

---End part 4---

Once again, if there's anything I could improve apon in my story, let me know. This is my first big story that I've written/am writing, and I'm wide open to any constructive criticism that might help me improve my writing and storytelling skills. Feel free to PM me about it or just post here...

Stat tuned for Part 5: Forever Memories...

-----Part 5: Forever Memories-----

“Mmm, that was a good dinner, wasn’t it, Chai?” Rosemary and Chai had just finished their dinners, and were just lying down, relaxing in the shade of the old oak tree they had settled under. “Yeah, it was very tasty, AND very messy, too” Chai was licking his muzzle, which had ended up redder than his fur from all the blood. “So, I guess now I tell you the story of my parents, like I promised. Well, I’ll try my best to remember it for you, here goes.” He took a deep breath. “Well, I was only three months old on that day, so I cant remember everything. I lived in the forest with Mom and Dad and my brother and two sisters.” Rose smiled. “So you grew up in the great forest after all, then!” Chai just sighed and continued. “I...I just don’t remember their names anymore, to be honest, no matter how much I try. Thing is, I’ve tried to just forget about all that because it’s just too painful to remember. The four of us kits were playing around outside the den like we always did in those days; everything was perfect…”

It was another perfect day; the sun was shining bright through the trees, a cool breeze was blowing past, and all was quiet. Or at least it would have been quiet if not for four fox kits tumbling around outside their den. They ran in circles, and snuck up on one another then leapt into the air and pounced as best they could. Keeping a watchful eye on the kits was their proud father, while the mother was out hunting for lunch, the first break she’d had from the kits since they were born. Just then, a big ruckus was heard from the woods to the south. The father’s ears perked up, and his expression became concerned. “Everyone into the den. Now!” In seconds, the kits had stopped their play and piled into the den. “Dad, what’s happening?” one of the kits cried, sticking his head above ground to try and see what was happening. “Chai, get down now!”, Said the old fox, pushing his son back into the den. "And don’t make a sound until I or your mother tells you it’s okay to come out!” Just then, A coyote jumped out of nowhere, knocking him to the ground. Safe inside the den, the kits could just see through the mouth of the den to what was happening outside, and they could do nothing but watch helplessly as the beast began to devour their father. “DAAAD!!” one of the kits cried out in fear, the same one who’d peeked out of the den a moment before his dad was killed. All of a sudden, the coyote looked up from it’s half finished meal, alerted by the sound of screaming coming from nearby. Within a few seconds the monster had stuck it’s large maw into the hole hoping to pull out a free snack. Unable to reach any of the kits who were farther back in the den, it started digging into the soil to widen the opening in order to reach farther inside. Right when they thought one of them would be snatched up, the beast gave a small yelp and whirled around. Standing in front of it now was the kits’ mother. One of the kits once again poked his head up to try and see what was happening. The vixen gave a snarl and the coyote lunged at her. Jumping out of the way, the mother turned tail and sprinted away, the coyote on her heels, but before she was out of sight, the mother looked backwards at her kit, then disappeared out of sight.

“That look on her face, I’ll never forget; she looked scared and extremely worried, and there was a tear in her eye. I never saw her again after that, I’ll bet that coyote got her, too *sniff*…” Chai said. He now had a tear in his eye, and looked as if he would cry again; Rosemary was wide eyed. “Wow, Chai, I’m real sorry for you; I’d be devastated if that happened to my mom and dad. But, Chai, that happened 2 years ago. I know it hurts, but why…why are you still in tears about it after all this time; why not just accept that it happened and move on? I’m sure that would be better that sitting around and crying about it day after day?” Chai looked down. “You don’t understand, Rose. I want to forget about it, I really do, but it’s just…Don’t you see? It’s all my fault- if I had done as father told me and stayed in the den the first time, dad might have seen that coyote coming and not gotten eaten! And then if I had kept quiet like I was told, then it wouldn’t have found the den and mom wouldn’t have had to run off with it and get eaten too! My parents got killed, all because I didn’t follow directions!”

Chai was in tears once again, even worse then before. Rose spoke up calmly. “Oh, Chai, you and I both know you didn’t mean to get your parents killed; it was all a big accident. What could you possibly do to change things now? ” Chai stopped crying for a second and looked at Rose, who was now laying beside him like before. “*sniff* I don’t care if it was an accident, Rosie, I still got my mother and father killed! Even after these 2 years, I just cant get it out of my head. I tried to just forget about it, but…” Chai sobbed, “You just don’t understand how it feels to have no parents, and all the while you know inside of you it’s your fault their dead. Everyone tells me to just put it behind and move on, but no one knows how I feel. I loved my mom and dad more than anything in the world, and it’s my fault their dead; How could I ever forgive myself for what I did?…” Rosie sighed, stood up and looked over to the southwest. “Chai, why don’t we just forget about it for now. I know an old owl who lives just a few minutes out this way who knows a lot about the forest; maybe he could help us figure out where your home is?” At the mention of home, Chai stopped crying. He took a deep, long breath, and stood up. “Yeah,” he sighed, “I suppose it’s worth a try, and it’s better than doing nothing. Lets get going.” Rosemary smiled and began to walk. “Alrighty, Chai, follow me!”

Meanwhile some distance away, a vixen dashed towards the sunset. "That really was him!" , she said to herself, "I'm sure it was him - I'm sure!" Ginger felt a tad embarrassed at letting her guard down in front of the other foxes. Usually, she was one of the toughest, most unemotional foxes this side of the Forest, but she couldn’t have helped herself. But now was not the time for that; she wished she could turn around and find Rosemary and Chai and apologise for turning tail so abruptly, but what she’d discovered there in the woods that evening was so shocking that even she had been taken aback; it was just so extraordinary, so unbelievable, that she could barely keep from shouting it out in the middle of the night. There was no stopping her excitement, the overwhelming surge of joy and energy and the desire to make like the wind and tell every single animal she knew the amazing, miraculous, incredible news; "He’s alive!" she said to herself as she ran, barely able to believe what even her own senses had told her, "Chai is really alive!!"

---End part 5---

Coming soon - Part 6: A Ghost of A Chance...

I apologise for the delay in getting part 6 up; I've been really busy with college and other important matters lately. I'll try and get it up ASAP

Okay, sorry 'bout the delay, but here's part 6. AND, little bonus, This just happens to be a double length part, just 'cause I felt like it.

-----Part 6: A Ghost of A Chance-----

“He lives just around here…” Rosemary led the way deeper into the forest with Chai right behind her. They were on the way to find an owl that lived in this part of the forest, in hopes that he could maybe help figure out where Chai’s home is located. “He should be getting ready to go out hunting right about now…Thurston, are you there?”, Rose called out “Thurston? Where could he be?” “Hoo-hoo, is that you, Rosemary? I’m over here.” Chai jumped at the sound that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Ah, there he is!” said Rose, looking into a tree, “Don’t worry, Chai, he’s a friend of mine. Now come on!” Following her gaze, Chai saw a shadow sitting on the tree branch that he hadn’t noticed before. He cautiously followed after the vixen, who was already halfway there. As she reached the base of the tree, the shadow jumped down to a lower branch, where the two foxes could see him more clearly in the moonlight. “Good evening, Thurston!” Rosie said cheerfully as Chai arrived and sat down beside her. “Ah, good evening to you too, Rosemary, and who’s this with you? A new face around here?” Rose nodded. “This is my new friend Chai. Chai, this is Thurston the owl; I’ve known him since I first settled in this area. He knows his way around the Forest better than anyone else I know.”

“Umm…Nice to meet you, Mr. Thurston, sir…” The old owl had this dignified air about him, and Chai tried his best to be polite. “Hello, Chai, nice to meet you too, but you can just call me Thurston. Now, before we go on, you two wouldn’t happen to have any idea why Ginger is all excited tonight, would you?” “Huh?” The two foxes exchanged a glance, and Rose spoke next. “you mean, you saw her too, Thurston?” The owl chuckled a bit, then looked at them quizzically. “Ginger came past here a few minutes ago in a big hurry; she seemed awfully excited about something or other. From the look on your two faces just now I can tell you two saw her as well.” Chai spoke up. “I still don’t get it….when I first met her, she sounded all indifferent and tough and well…Then she asked my name and when I told her, she started acting weird. I mean, I only just met her, but still…she just froze there staring at me, and...” “Yeah, and when she saw me, she ran off in a big hurry. I’ve never seen her like that before…” Rosemary chimed in. Thurston listened, looking thoughtful. “It sounds like this might have something to do with you, Chai, but I suppose for now it’s unimportant. At any rate, what brings you two here tonight, hmm?” Rose brightened up and began to explain all that had happened so far this evening. “…….…So that’s how Chai and I met in that little clearing……..….And here we are now.” about five minutes later, Rose finished. “We thought maybe you could help us figure out where Chai’s home is, Thurston. Do you think you could help us?” the wise old owl had been listening carefully to the whole story, and when the vixen had finished speaking, he turned to Chai and spoke. “So you arrived with that big crash earlier, huh? This evening just gets stranger and stranger, and it appears that on all accounts, YOU are smack in the center of all this somehow. Hmm…Well, I’ll try my best to help you two out, but I need to know from you, Chai, where is your home?”

Chai hesitated before answering. ”Well….I live on the farm.” Rosemary spoke up, looking confused. “What’s a ‘farm’, Chai? I don’t know anywhere in the forest called a ‘farm’?” She looked confusedly at Thurston, as if asking him for help. Thurston looked at Chai quizzically; “So, you live on a farm? Hmm…a farm,” he explained to Rosie, “is a place where humans live and work. The humans that work there are called ‘Farmers’, and they grow fruits and vegetables and things to eat. I don’t know much more about it myself. What I know comes from the few times I’ve flown outside the Forest; there are many farms on the land surrounding what we know as the Great Forest, so unfortunately, I cant help much unless I know which farm Chai came from.” Rosemary now looked not only confused, but worried as well. “Chai, you lived with HUMANS?! You thought your parents were unlucky, it’s a wonder YOUR still alive! Do you have any idea how crazy even the thought of it is?!” Now Chai looked utterly confused. He glanced at Thurston hoping the owl would explain that to Rose as well, but Thurston, although he caught the fox’s eyes, said nothing, but just sat there waiting, looking thoughtful. Seeing Chai’s bewildered expression, Rose lowered her voice a bit. “Chai, you told me how you lost your parents, but you lived in the forest back then; how did you end up with the humans in the first place?” Chai took a deep breath, and thought back to when it all happened. “It was back on that same day two years ago when my parents were killed. After the coyote ran off with mom, we kits were all alone in the den….”

All was quiet in the wake of the monster’s rampage; not a sound could be heard from anywhere in the surrounding forest. Not too far underground lay the den where Chai and his siblings waited patiently for their mom to return. The four kits huddled together, and gradually they all drifted off to sleep; All except for one. Half an hour after the coyote had left, the one called Chai crawled up and out of the den, nervously looking around. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep; no, he was still scared. His mother hadn’t returned yet, and what if that monster came back – they would be stuck in the den while it dug it’s way in and then no one would be there to stop it from eating them. While the other kits were fast asleep, he decided to go out in search of mother, or maybe a bite to eat, anything besides waiting in the den to be eaten. He wandered around for what seemed like ages, but all the little fox found were broken twigs and pinecones, which were crunchy, but didn’t taste very well. At length, Chai began to feel thirsty. There was a stream near the den which him and his family drank from, the waters of which were extremely fresh and tasty. He turned around to head back to the den, but after walking for ages again, he still hadn’t arrived back home. Not only was he extremely thirsty, but now he was lost as well. Now he wished he had just stayed in the den with the others. Chai walked and walked and walked until he was too tired and thirsty to walk any more. All he could see around him now was the green forest, and on the ground, a trail with many strange paw prints on it. Parched and weary, he finally collapsed in a heap on the forest floor, and everything went black.

“….wake….up…..wake up, little fox.” The next thing Chai heard was a soft, warm voice in his ear. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, he immediately knew something wasn’t right…The familiar sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds could not be heard, but in their place, strange, unfamiliar sounds were all around him. The air smelled different too. “Please wake up…” There was that voice again, Soft, warm and comforting. “M-Mom?” Chai slowly opened his eyes. He was in a warm, slightly dark, area, with an opening in front of him, and light streaming in. But it was different than sunlight, and this was not his den. And when he poked his nose outside, he saw a big huge shaggy lump with two big eyes and a big black nose. Chai gasped as it looked at him, and startled, he fled to the back of the new ‘den’ as fast as he could.

As he lay there curled up on the floor, (which incidentally was very soft and comfortable), the fur ball poked its head in and gently nudged him, licking his face clean of all the dirt and tears. “You're finally awake, little one.”, it said, “Listen, I know this must be scary for you, but I promise your safe here. I wont let anything happen to you, OK?” The shivering fox kit looked up at ”Y-your not my mom…where am I?” ”I’m real sorry, but I don’t know where your mom is; we found you out by one of the old trails, unconscious and very weak. When I looked around and couldn’t find any other foxes nearby, it was all we could do to bring you here and take care of you, or else you might not have made it. I don’t know what happened to your real mother, but I can be your mother for now if you want. My name is Dixie, and I live here on the farm. Now come, little one, you’re dehydrated, and you need to drink; there’s water right out here for you, or should I bring it in for you? Chai slowly crawled out of the darkness. As he looked around, he saw the large room he found himself in had a dirt floor, and was very tidy; He could see it was divided into several stalls, each with a large, tall animal standing in it. In the corner where he stood, he found two bowls; one had water in it, which he quickly drank down, though it was nowhere near as good as that in the forest. The other bowl was empty. Behind him lay a large, rectangular box kind of object; he realised he had just stepped out of there. It was big enough for him to wander in, turn around, and walk out again, but Dixie was too big to have been able to fit inside.

“Thanks for the drink, um, Dixie…um…what are you?” Dixie smiled “I am an Old English Sheepdog. Now, do you have a name?” “…Chai. My name is Chai-huh?” Just then, a strange, two-legged creature walked into the room through a door across from where he and Dixie were standing. Immediately, the frightened kit scrambled into the safety of the box, his new den of sorts. The two legged thing bent down and peered inside at the terrified little fox. Wasting no time, Dixie gave a soft bark, and when it turned its head, she nudged the bowl Chai had drunk from. The strange creature picked up the bowl and momentarily left. “Don’t worry, Chai, that’s the farmer, one of the humans that lives here with me. He wont do a thing to hurt you. And if you ever get scared, that crate behind you will always be there, and so will I.” Momentarily, the farmer returned and set the bowl down, now filled with water again. Chai came out slowly and drank the second bowl of water as quickly as the first, while the farmer just stepped back and watched. Dixie smiled at him. “You can stay here as long as you need to, Chai.”

“I was scared at first,” said Chai, “But the farm wasn’t so bad when I got used to it. And Dixie was always looking out for me, like my mom and dad did before, and she taught me all about the farm and about the humans. I’ve lived there ever since. Well, at least until now…” Rosemary was wide eyed, she looked as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. “A-and the humans- they didn’t hurt you?” Thurston spoke up before Chai could answer; he had been silent and thoughtful through the whole story. “Chai, something you should know, is that the stories passed around here about humans are real scary things. No one around here dares get anywhere near humans for fear of their life. This probably sounds strange to you, doesn’t it?” “Well, yeah; is that what this is all about, Rosie?” Rose nodded silently. “Mom never told us anything about humans, I didn’t know what the heck they were until I met the ones at the farm. At the farm, the humans are very kind, and they give us food and water every day; They never tried to hurt me or anything, and Dixie and I even played with them. Dixie says, ‘The humans are very good at healing us animals, and helping us, but they need help understanding us, and that’s sort of where I come in.’ The humans never hurt me or Dixie or any of the animals.” The vixen looked very mystified. “My mother taught us to never EVER go anywhere near a human; was she wrong?”

Thurston ruffled his feathers. “You are both right. You see, the stories that the young are told here come from long ago, and they are indeed true. Humans used to come into the forest and kill almost any animal they saw; foxes especially. But not all humans are bad, and these days, the ones who live outside the forest on the farms are very friendly towards animals. But you shouldn’t trust any human you don’t know, because it could still be of the dangerous kind. Now Chai, I think I know where you live. If you want to get home, you’ll want to go to the west side of the Great Forest. It’s a few days walk, but eventually you’ll get to the old trails at the west end of the forest, and from there you can get home, cant you?” Chai’s face lit up and he became excited. “Oh, yeah, the trails! Somewhere there is where I first got lost and ended up at the farm. Dixie and the humans and I took walks on the trails sometimes, so I’m sure I would be able to get home from there; they lead straight to the farm!” The old owl had a faint glimmer in his eye, “Well then, go west, young fox, and you may find home yet. And by the by, Ginger also ran off in that direction, so you just might meet up with her. See if you can find out what she’s all hyped up about, hmm? Now I’m off for a midnight snack; good luck you two!”

Rosemary was already on her feet and running in circles all around Chai, excited as could be. “Thanks a million, Thurston. See Chai, I told you he could help, he’s the smartest animal I know around here. Now how about we go and get some sleep, and in the morning we’ll start walking.” Chai pushed her over, and the two foxes chased each other in circles before they both collapsed on the ground and lay there panting. Behind them, Thurston took off and flew into the darkness. For what must have been the first time since he arrived, Chai didnt miss home one bit. “Thanks for all your help, Rosie, I don’t know what I’d have done with out you and Thurston. I’m bushed for tonight, where can we sleep?” “Anywhere, Chai! Here in the forest you can sleep just about anywhere you feel like it; I like to sleep under a tree so if it rains in the night I don’t get wet.” “Then let’s just stay right here. I don’t think I could go another step.”, Chai yawned, “Good night, Rosie” Rosie just lay there gazing at him for a few more minutes and then she too, drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a clearing farther west, a young male fox lay staring up into the stars. The opening in the tree tops provided a perfect little window into the clear night sky, and this was often how he spent his evenings. All of a sudden, there was the pounding of paws and a vixen burst through the foliage, causing him to jump up in surprise. The vixen just stood there, wide eyed, panting heavily. “Gin, girl, you scared me there; what are you doing way out here this time of night?” No response, she just stood there catching her breath. “Ya gotta take it easy there, man, you should totally be getting some rest….Ginger? What’s up? Dude, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

---End Part 6---

While I can tell by the number of views counter in the list of topics that there are people popping in here and reading, It's been quiet here as far as comments go. That's fine by me, but if anyone's enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it, by all means, I'd love to know I'm not posting this here for no reason. And if you think I could be doing a little better, let me know too, hmm?

Coming real soon, I promise - Part 7: Echoes of the Past...

Normally I rush through this forum and usually with not that much time. So I've copied to my mp3-speler yesterday (which can read text-files) and so I've read it when I had the time for it.

It is great, really! The only thing I noticed was that you let them talk very much in one time.
For example: “It’s okay, there’s no one around right now but us; the big crash scared everyone away for now. I’m Rosemary, but you can just call me Rose or even Rosie if you want. You aren’t hurt, are you? That was quite the drop that thing took on your head.”
I think you can easily break this into more sentences. So you can fill it up with things like looking around, seeing Chai's reaction, etc.

For the rest: You write really good, I love to read the rest of this story

Alrighty, Sorry for the delay, I've been busy...

----Part 7: Echoes of the Past---

“…Chai? You…are you-… But I- you- Your- I mean- Is it really?”….”I gotta run!” As Chai slept, his mind drifted back to what had happened earlier that day…Ginger, what was it about Ginger that kept nagging in the back of his mind? Her words echoed through his ears, clear as if he’d just heard it, and images of the vixen looking at him, wide eyed floated around in his head. “And no more of that cry-baby business Rose told me about. I’ve had my share of hardships too, kid, and take it from me, you have to put it behind you and move on.” Hardships? Move on? How could she possibly know the pain he’d been through? How could he move on?

All of a sudden, he was in the forest, all alone, but when he listened closely, he could hear sounds of laughter coming from just through the brush. As he poked his head out, he saw a scene that brought a tear to his eye, in a good way; Four fox kits were tumbling, pouncing, rolling and running around a small clearing, as a beautiful vixen watched proudly over them, glancing this way and that every so often to spot any danger that might come their way, and all the while, watching the little ones play with a smile on her face. As Chai stepped out of the brush, he found it odd that neither the kits nor their mom turned their head or seemed to notice him. One of the playful kits dashed right towards him – and to his surprise, right through him, like he wasn’t there. He stared curiously at the little fox, and realised that it looked exactly like him, only younger. “Then that means…”, he whispered to himself, as he approached the mother fox. “That’s….That’s my mom!” He recognised her precious face from his memories. It dawned on him that this was but an image, so they couldn’t see him, or know he was there.

Chai wanted so badly just to feel his mother’s fur once more, but his nose just went right through her, and all he got was a faint whiff of her familiar scent. He wanted to cry out loud, but didn’t know whether to be happy to see his mother, or sad it was only a dream. Oh, how he missed his mother; it was so strange, this feeling. He hadn’t felt this lonely in years. After he came to the farm, he had forgotten about everything in his past. At first, he had cried for hours on end about how he missed his mom and his brothers and sisters, and ho he wanted to go home, but in time, the memory of the Forest faded, and all he had known for those two years was Dixie, and the life on the farm. It was only on that fateful afternoon when he had crash-landed in the forest that all the painful things of his past had all come back, and all he could do was cry, because he missed his mother and father, who were dead because of him, because he missed Dixie the sheepdog, who had been his great comfort all these years, and because he missed his brother and sisters, whom he had abandoned on that afternoon so long ago. He didn’t remember their names, but not that it ever would matter, or that it ever did. All he wanted was to go back to the farm, where none of that mattered, where he could escape from the grief and sorrow that was his past.

Lying there, crying there, under what remained of the crate that was had been his home for years, he had felt alone and afraid, his life shattered like it had been two years before. Here he was, in a forest, who knew how far from home, and he would probably be eaten by something or other in an hour or two; not that he would have cared anyway. It seemed there was nothing left for him in life any way. And then, out of the blue, there came this vixen, Rosemary. She seemed to have not a trouble in the world, and her shining disposition had broken through the darkness that had wrapped around him; her soft touch, it was almost as if she knew the kind of pain he felt. It was strange, though how cheerful she was, so much so that it was beginning to rub off on him. It seemed like there might be hope after all. Tomorrow they would start towards the west, towards his home, and in a few days he would be back with Dixie at the farm, and everything would be back to normal.

Chai turned his attention back to the little foxes playing in the clearing; there was him, and those were his brother and his sisters. But he couldn’t for the life of him remember their names, or anything about them. He watched intently, trying to remember anything. But why did he even care? All he wanted was to forget all that, and go back to his old life at the farm. Yet something in the back of his mind urged him to try and remember. He watched closely, and it seemed so familiar, yet so distant in his mind…there was his brother, who was laid back and just waited to be jumped on, then jumped in the fray unexpectedly, and there was his one sister who would take breaks now and then just to go sit with her mother and cuddle for a bit. Then there was his other sister, who always seemed to be on top of someone, most often little Chai. Then he looked closer, his eyes widening. Something about this little vixen was familiar; in fact, a lot about this rough and tumble little girl was familiar to him. That coat, those black ears, that particular gaze, he had seen it all before somewhere. “Ginger?” That had to be it, he was sure of it! There, tumbling with little Chai and the rest of their siblings was the one and only, that very same vixen who had confronted him at the stream that evening! Just then, there was a noise behind him, and when he turned around, there was Ginger, just as he had seen her at the creek earlier, wide eyed and dumbstruck. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, and ask her about his other brother and sister; surely she could refresh his memory? “Ginger, I-“ He started, momentarily forgetting it was only a dream. But before he could finish his sentence, she turned tail and dashed off. “Ginger, no, please wait!!” But she ran at top speed off towards the sunset, just like before. But before she disappeared into the distance, she looked back at him, and gave him a wink, that mysterious wink, and then vanished, leaving Chai standing there in tears. “GINGER!!”

---End Part 7---

Next: Part 8 - Go West, Young Fox!

Alrighty, I know it's been around a month since I posted the last part....i've had some minor writers block, and I've been busy. But here it is, part 8! And it's another extra long part, too...

-----Part 8: Go West, Young Fox!-----

"GINGER!!" All at once Chai bolted awake, his heart still pounding, and his eyes wide. Beside him, he could hear another heart pounding, it was Rosemary, sitting startled, blinking the last bit of sleepiness out of her eyes. “Chai, you scared me – are you okay?” Chai didn’t answer, instead he was standing, staring off into the distance as if looking for something, but there was nothing to see but trees. “Chai? Is there something wrong?”, she asked anxiously. After a few seconds, Chai looked down, giving a little sigh before finally sitting down and answering. “Yeah, I guess so…Rosie, I – My dream…Your probably not going to believe this, but…Ginger…she’s my sister!” Rosie froze in place gazing at him with a sort of “what the?” stunned expression on her face. After a few seconds of silence, she smiled at him. “Wow, Chai, I never knew….you suppose that’s why she acted so surprised to see you?” Chai looked off into the trees again and sighed. “Yeah, that’d be why…we haven’t seen each other for years…..and I didn’t recognise her...until tonight..” and he told her about what he had seen that night in his dream… “Ginger and I were best playmates until that day…” Rosemary was full of enthusiasm as usual. “Well, You’ve got the coolest, sister, Chai…she never lets the other foxes push her around, and she doesn’t seem afraid of anything….or, at least that’s what I thought before yesterday…” Then she noticed that Chai was still staring off into nowhere. She pounced on him to get his attention, and they both went rolling on the ground, laughing. “Don’t worry, Chai, we’ll find her. We’re going in the same direction she went, so we’re bound to catch up to her sooner or later.” Chai’s stomach chose this moment to growl, and she chuckled at him. “How about some breakfast, then. I promised I’d teach you how to hunt, remember?” Chai smiled back at her, and then nodded. “Sounds good to me!”

As they began the walk to the hunting-grounds, Chai was quiet and seemed…distracted, lost in his thoughts. Rosemary nudged her companion and asked curiously, “So…what do you eat on the, um.. ’farm’ , Chai?” Chai glanced sideways at her, smiling a bit. “Well….whatever the humans give us…I don’t know exactly what it is, but it tastes okay..” He licked his lips and continued “although I must admit, rabbit is much tastier.” Eager keep Chai talking, Rose asked more questions. “What was it like on the farm? Is it fun?” “Well, the humans may be helpful, but their still a bit scary sometimes – they’re strange. Dixie taught me to understand what they say –“ “You mean they say things like we do?” “Well.....sort of…even if you know what their sayin’, its really hard to make any sense out of it sometimes. Anyway, the fun part of the farm is all the animals there are to meet. There are ducks and horses and cows and sheep and even a cat or two..” As he went on talking, Rose was looking kind of confused; she didn’t have any idea what most of these animals were, but just then, something occurred to her. “Chai?”, she cut in, “Sorry to interrupt you, but you’ve mentioned all those animals, and I don’t know what some of them are, but…you haven’t mentioned foxes; were there other foxes?” Chai stopped all of a sudden, and looked down; He had not really considered this before. “…….No” he said in a soft voice.

He HAD been the only fox on the farm, but he had never really felt particularly lonely about it after he had gotten over the loss of his mother. “I was the only fox…but Dixie kept me company, a-and the other animals too; they are all very nice..” he said, then faded off into silence. Now that he thought about it, that had been the one thing that was missing. The Old English Sheepdog was the closest thing to another fox he had known. Only now did he realise how lonely it really was without his own species to keep him company. Rosemary broke the silence with her cheerful voice. “But it must be lonely without another fox; I know I would have been lonely without Ginger nearby to keep me company. Don’t worry about being lonely anymore, Chai, you’ve got me now!” As she finished, she snuggled up beside Chai, who was sitting with his head down in silence, as he thought about the farm. As he felt her fur and her warmth against his body, he also felt something new, something different inside him that he didn’t quite understand. He looked up and smiled at her. “…Thanks, Rosie…” All at once he felt as if he’d never be lonely again. Although he didn’t quite understand it, he had to admit that he enjoyed her company; he liked being around her. But then the thought hit him: Rosemary lived in the Forest; If he went back to the farm, she probably wouldn’t come; he would be lonely again. Now he was really unsure of what to do; if he stayed in the Forest, he could stay with Rosemary, but he couldn’t go back home…

Before he could ponder it anymore, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Here we are, Chai, the hunting grounds!” He realised that they had begun to walk again while he was lost in his thoughts. Ahead of them lay a grassy meadow with a few trees here and there. On the distant side of the meadow he could see more trees, and tall mountains above them. “Now pay attention and you’ll see how easy it is. You do know how to track with your nose and ears, right?” Chai nodded, That was something Dixie *had* been able to teach him. “Good, so you’re already halfway there. Now you gotta be quiet and listen hard, and use your nose, and when you find something, you sneak up, and do a big jump and catch it.” Chai was listening closely. “A big jump, huh?” Rosie looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Yup, like THIS!” And before he could react she leapt up – and landed on him, sending them both rolling in the grass laughing. “See, Chai? It’s fun!” Chai jumped to his feet and then pounced back at her in response. After they had finished laughing, she turned to him. “So you get it now? It’s just like pouncing on your brothers and sisters when you were a kit.” Chai smiled “That’s it? That doesn’t sound so hard at all.” “Nope,” Rosie said, winking at him. “it just takes some practice to get right. Watch…” she crouched down.

It seemed as if she was doing nothing, but she was slowly creeping through the grass; he paid attention as her ears twitched, and after a few minutes, he realised she was listening to a small rustling a few meters away, a rustling that sounded different than what the breeze made. As they waited, it inched closer…closer…All of a sudden, she made a quick, graceful leap through the air, coming down right on top of whatever it was. Her head poked up through the grass, and in her mouth was a dead rabbit, which she set down in front of her. “Why don’t you give it a try?” Chai nodded, and began to concentrate….he smelled something, and then he heard it, that rustling noise. Patience, he told himself…closer…Now! He leapt into the air and landed…on nothing but ground. He heard the sound of the rabbit hopping away fast as it could. “Rats, I missed…But you were right, that was fun!” He grinned as he spoke. Rose chuckled a bit; it was nice to see him in a good mood again. “Isn’t it, though? Keep trying, you’ll get it with a bit of practice. Even I don’t catch something all the time.” But she then realised Chai wasn’t listening; he was crouched and focused again, ready to catch the next small creature that happened to pass by. She smiled as he pounced and disappeared into the taller grass, to reappear a second later with a medium-sized rabbit in his mouth. “That’s great, Chai, looks like you’re a natural!” “Gee, you really think so?” Asked Chai, putting down his catch. Rosemary laughed and pounced on him. “Yup! You are a fox, after all. Now isn’t this a fun way to get your breakfast?” Chai nodded in agreement, his tail wagging slowly back and forth, then without further delay, began to gobble up his rabbit. As Rose began her breakfast, she could smell that he was finally beginning to enjoy himself here. “I hope he isn’t in too much hurry to go home,” She thought, “Because I really like him; even though he seems so…pensive and out in the clouds sometimes, he’s really fun to be with.” As the two of them lay in the sun, munching on their rabbit meat, Chai was also thinking the same thing: “I think I’ll take my time with breakfast; We can head west when we’re good and ready, but I kind of like it out here. I mean, It’s not like there’s any hurry to go home, is there?...”

---End Part 8---

Next, Part 9: With A Single Step

I won't take as long on the next part, I promise..

sigh....everyone, I sincerely apologise for the delay here....I have all intentions to finish this story, I hate leaving things like this hanging, but the truth is, my imagination has been on leave for the last little while.

I've had a lot happening, and not much time to even think about Chai and his story as I'd like...Christmas, finding a job, all sorts of things...rest assured, though, that this story will have an ending, and a happy one at that (I don't deal in any other kinds of endings, people).

....stay tuned, okay you guys? I WILL get back to work on this ASAP.

its cool,getting a job and christmas can be distracting to your wants and extra activities,i know how it feels,getting a job is a pain XD