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Strange One



An unsteady little fox kit blinked, opening her eyes she wobbled after her siblings. Taking her first steps outside the den, watching the others do the same. Their brown-black eyes gleamed in the light.

Most of the other fox kits were playing, a tangled mess of dark brown fur and legs as they tumbled, chasing each other around mossy rocks and through short green grass. Some of the older foxes were lounging, gathered around a small circle of rocks. The fox kit stumbled over, her legs still not quite used to the rough ground. The circle smelled fresh, soaked in the scent of damp earth; something clear and silvery-blue filled the hole in the ground. She leaned towards it, trying to get a better look, paws scrambling for purchase on the smooth slippery stones. With no success, her paws slipped, sending her tumbling down into the pool of clear liquid. It was only water. But she didn't know that then. She landed with a splash, the liquid soaking her coat and making her shiver. She had been dry and warm, smelling of earth. Now she was wet, cold and had almost no scent.

The adult foxes laughed, though not meanly. There was nothing more than amusement glinting in their warm, dark eyes. One bent over the pool and gently picked her up, lifting her out of the cold, wet, clear liquid.

"Be careful, little strange one, your life won't be easy." She warned.

"Easy?" laughed another one, barely able to talk, as it was howling so hard with laughter "Easy? She won't survive summer. All the prey will flee in terror, if they don't die of laughter. She won't survive; not on her own. White coat and all, she'll starve for sure if she has to hunt for herself."

The fox kit stared into the pool, wondering what the laughing fox meant. Then staring at her reflection in the clear liquid she understood. Unlike the other foxes, whose coats were dark brown and their eyes dark, her eyes were a clear, brilliant blue-white. Her fur was fluffy and white. Well. It would have been fluffy if it wasn't dripping.

She studied herself for a moment, then decided, the choice was up to her. She was determined.

I will survive.

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