Foxpaw Chronicles

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Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by D-Rock »

Name is actually tentative, once again let me remind you all that I'm bad with names. I finally decided to get to writing down David's story, but I also intend to hop between character vantage points at times.
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Part 1
Chapter 1: The Beginning

My name is David. I’m a rabbit, and a member of the Foxpaw clan. Or at least, I was. Strange, isn’t it? A rabbit, normally a meal to a group of foxes, and for a time I was one of their members. Life can be odd. Let me tell you how things turned out the way they did. Have to tell someone this story.

I was a child born into the Swiftfoot rabbit clan. Nothing all that extravagant in terms of appearance, just a sandy-colored kit with some gray and dark gray accents. As soon as we were old enough to understand things, and this was indeed early, we were warned that if we ever crossed paths with a predator, we should run, run away as fast as we could, otherwise, we’d be taken to their den as food. I couldn’t have been older than four at the time, so of course I was never allowed to to actually set out into the wild. Didn’t stop any of the adults from drilling all of this into our heads. Since I was the youngest kit, they were more thorough with me.

Looking back, a severe level of distrust existed among my clan. We were well-hidden from prying eyes, but if anyone stumbled upon us, they were turned away upon threat of violence. Even other rabbit clans that wanted to open talks of trade and support. Frankly, it’s a wonder that my clan managed to survive as long as it did with this mindset, though I recall that it was said that my father was a clan outsider whom my mother somehow managed to fall in love with.

Speaking of, I recall that my mother was among the patrols, making sure that any identifiable traces of our activity was removed, and warned us if others seemed to be getting close. My father was placed with the healers. The chief wanted him someplace where he could be watched at all times, even more so where he didn’t have a weapon. In fact, most of the others in the clan had only small knives for self-defense, and I don’t recall any sort of training with them. Even our guards only had simple spears. No one really knew how to fight. We were always encouraged to run, with our weapon, if we had one, to be used as an absolute last resort. I feel that I can safely say that this mindset cost the lives of most of the clan.

I still remember how it started.

I was with my mother, who was off-duty at the time, when a commotion started where the entrance to our clan was. My mother took care to keep me behind her, but I could still make out what was going on. An outsider had wandered in, I remember he was a brown vole, and the guards were none too happy that he was there. At the time, what I found most odd was the fact that he was wearing clothing. I was told that animals that lived within villages would often make these garments, as they were no longer accustomed to the chill of the air. The chief joined soon enough.

“Look, Chief, sir, I didn’t mean to intrude, but I would appreciate it if we could trade some supplies for the final leg of my journey!”

“Save it, Outsider! We already told you that you’re not welcome here! I suggest you leave at once!”

“I get that, but please, some food or water-”

It was at this moment that the chief took a spear and pointed it right at the vole’s neck. This made it clear to the intruder that negotiations were never an option.

“This is your last chance. Leave.”

The vole finally took this to turn back. I recall feeling bad over him. Even at that age, I felt that the chief was being too harsh. If only I knew the full extent of what would happen next. But frankly, none of us could have expected things to turn out how they did.

It was some days later, and I was just lazing about in my part of my family’s den. I was grateful to have a time where I wouldn’t have to endure the lessons we were always getting. While the other kits were out playing, I was in my section. An act that definitely saved my life.

I heard some of the guards yelling, with a clash of weapons. This told me that the entrance was breached, and it was a violent one. I took this moment to rush behind the small outcropping that was near where I slept. From the opening, I was invisible, but such a tactic would fail should anyone so much as walk in far enough. It was all I had at the moment, however. I heard a lot of screaming from the guards, and I could make out the moment when a hole opened in their ranks, as then there were the cries of those who I knew were not in the guard. More clashing, as I knew that those who could pulled out their own weapons. As time passed, however, I heard what I could only describe as garglings, followed by an increasing amount of silence from those from my clan.

It was only a matter of time before I could only make out one voice from the clan. The attackers had saved the chief for last, and I could hear that his breathing was labored. I heard a voice speak out, and to my horror, it was the voice of the vole who had wandered into the clan a few days ago.

“Hey, pops, sorry for the mess, but thanks for giving the guys and me a great time today!”

Despite his injuries, I heard the chief utter out a curse to all who attacked the clan. Followed by silence.

“Real shame,” I heard the vole continue, “I had hoped for a more welcoming committee the other day.” A new voice answered him.

“What, if he was nice, you wouldn’t have shown us where he was?”

“Nah,” came the answer, “just saying I hoped they were nicer. I was going to tell the rest of you guys, anyway.”

“Shut your yaps,” came a third voice, “we got to blow some steam, and got some neat stuff while we were at it. Everyone, take a look around the dens, make sure we didn’t leave anyone. You guys got sloppy after the last raid, and now a lot of village mayors know about us.”

“I said I was sorry!” came the second voice, “I didn’t think they’d put any stock into what the ferals had to say!”

With the call to check every place, I stood as still as I could, almost as still as if I myself were already dead. Then I saw a shadow come through the entrance of where I slept. My heart raced so much, I was convinced that these animals would be able to locate me just from the sound of my heartbeat. Then the shadow receded.

“Everything is clear, boss! Looks like we got all of them!”

“Good, everyone, take everything that looks useful! We could put these new weapons to good use, and a knife is always handy to keep around.”

I heard many footsteps leave the place, but I couldn’t bring myself to come out. I finally let my tears out, as I could smell the great amount of blood that was tainting the air. It was only a matter of time before this acrid stench suddenly brought in the scent of my mother and father. I was the last one left in the clan, and I knew it. I don’t know how long I lay there and cried, nor how long I even stayed after all of that, but the next thing I recall was the sound of others, probably caught by the smell of all of the blood. These didn’t seem to be sneaking around, as I heard many start to call to others in their party.

“Armon, take a look at this!”

“By the Creator, what happened here?!”

Whatever was left of my clan, I knew that it wasn’t clean or merciful. But I continued to lay still, if it turned out that they were also hostile. It was essentially all I knew at the time, anyway.

“Chief, it looks like they were killed for sport. It doesn’t look like any part of them was actually taken.”

“I have heard of massacres such as this happening within the villages. It looks like this clan was the victim of these marauders. Mammals who kill for the thrill of killing.”

“I didn’t know that there were hunters that did this.”

“Not all of them are hunters, from what I’ve learned. Just a collection of individuals who have no concept of the value of any life. A most despicable way of living.”

“Chief, what should we do?”

“Everyone, first we find survivors. No one deserves this. Spread out!”

Judging from their way of reacting to what had happened, I had thought that they were some member of the tribes that had to deal with being hunted as well, but I was surprised to hear that they also communed with some of the “civilized” areas, as my chief had referred to them as. I was always told that we had to avoid civilization most of all.

Soon I saw a shadow enter my sleeping quarters. Unlike last time, it continued to enter. This one was definitely more thorough than the one who entered last time. Out of a sense of fear, I closed my eyes shut tight. Soon I felt the shadow come upon me, stopping with a gasp. I opened my eyes to see who it was who had found me. This only filled my heart with terror. There was no mistake, what I saw was something that we were told to especially fear in my lessons.

The one who found me was a fox.

He was a dark red, with white forearms, legs, muzzle, and chest, with a black-tipped bushy tail.
In one hand was weapon I hadn’t seen before, much larger than the knives my clan tended to have, in another was a solid board-like item, with a design I’d never seen before. But all of this didn’t matter to me at that moment. What mattered that what had found me was something that we were told always ate rabbits, and now I had no protection from it.

But even then, what I saw in his eyes confused me. I expected something like hunger, but what I saw was something different. He was probably surprised to see me as well, though his expression changed to one of concern. He sheathed his weapon and put his board on his back and knelt down to get on more even viewing, likely to appear less threatening.

“I won’t hurt you, little one.”

His tone of voice and posture seemed like one that my father took when I got hurt. Something about it was soothing, yet the fact that this was coming from a fox kept me quaking.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” he continued, “but please, I want to help you right now. I promise, I’ll take you someplace safe.”

I calmed down from this. Really, I had little choice. If I stayed, I knew I would die. If I went out on my own, I knew I would die. If I went with him, there was a chance I would die. I stopped shaking after a little bit, then the fox slowly approached me and gingerly picked me up. Not like how one would pick up a piece of food, or an object, but again, similar to how my parents would when they tried to comfort me.

“Close your eyes, little one. You shouldn’t see what happened. Keep focused on the sound of my heartbeat.”

He carried me outside where the sun’s rays hit me. I must have been hiding for a long time, as the sudden warmth felt incredibly welcoming. What ended this brief relief was the acrid smell of blood.

“Armon,” I heard another voice say, directed at the fox that was carrying me, “We didn’t find anyone else. Is that kit all you found?”

“Yes,” this Armon replied, “only him. He was hiding from the marauders. It seems like he has been hiding there for some time.”

“Well, um, Chief?” another asked, “What exactly are we going to do with this one?”

I tensed up a little at this question, something that this Armon noticed. He cradled me closer to himself. For a moment, he seemed to pause.

“I’m taking him to our clan grounds. For the moment, I’ll keep him safe there. We’ll figure out what to do next after this.”

Armon then started walking, about to leave what was left of the Swiftfoot clan.

“Chief, what do we do? About all the rest here?”

Armon paused, and held my closer.

“...wait until you’re sure the child is out of earshot. Then do what needs to be done.”

Even at that young age, I knew what he was talking about. I knew that like this, at least my clan would receive some level of dignity. Something that the ones who killed them didn’t bother to attempt to grant.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Good writing D-Rock, I like how you kept this moving along at a fair old lick, very readable.

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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Let’s see how well I manage to keep up a good pace. I’ve never done serious writing like this before.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Part 1 Chapter 2
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I don’t know how long we were walking. Like Armon suggested, I kept my focus on his heartbeat. I had never gone beyond the borders of our territory. Everything I saw was so alien for me. And here I was, a helpless kit, in the arms of a predator. I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. I finally turned my gaze to see what was ahead of us. I was surprised by what I saw.

Ahead were two foxes, each carrying a smaller board and a weapon that looked like the knives my clan used, stationed at an entrance. There were several hills, each with an opening, telling me that there were multiple dens. I was most surprised with the fact that there didn’t seem to be any type of barrier around the hills, but there were multiple other foxes posted at regular intervals. Within the actual encampment, I could make out that there were locations set for fires, a decent-sized garden, and what looked like frames with something stretched within them. In the middle was another mound, similar to the others, but unlike them, there were guards stationed in front of the entrance as well.

My attention was swiftly turned back to the foxes nearest to me.

“Chief! What’s going on? Where’s the rest of the hunting party?”

“The rest of the group is still where we found this little one,” Armon replied, “They’re taking care of the remains of an attack.” Both guards seemed to tense at this. What had happened to my warren was apparently not a new phenomenon.

“Continue to be on your guard, should those that did this to him still be near.” With that, Armon continued walking to his destination.

Armon kept his sights on his destination, which seemed to be the guarded den. It made sense, as he would of course have the most well-guarded set. I could feel many other foxes turn their gaze at the two of us, and those I managed to see had a look of confusion. Perhaps they didn’t typically see anyone bring in live prey? It wasn’t long before we reached out destination, and Armon had the same conversation with these guards as those at the front. However he gave these additional instructions.

“I want one of you to spread word around the clan that this little one is to be treated as a guest until we figure out what our best option is. Until then, I want no harm to come to him, and to be mindful of where they take of their hunts. Preferably not in his presence.”

With that, one of the guards left his post to deliver this message, and Armon headed inside. His den seemed to be rather large, though this made sense considering his position. What I found odd was as we got deeper, there were white stick-like objects, each with a small flame. I had never seen things like this, but it apparently made digging a den deeper possible with the light that each gave off. Eventually, Armon came to a stop, and I heard a new voice.

“Papa, you’re home!”

I was surprised by this voice. Obviously female, and probably not much older than me. Though when I looked in the direction of this new voice, I couldn’t help but be surprised. All my life, I was told that foxes were a reddish-orange. Armon was a much deeper red, similar to a ripened cherry, and while I was looking around at the other foxes, I noticed other colors ranging from bright orange, to brown, to black. The owner of the voice was white with black markings at various places on her body. I never would have imagined such a coat to exist, much less born to someone like Armon.

“Why did you bring a live one here, papa? I thought you said it was cruel to do that.”

If I recall correctly, this statement was the first one that made me make an audible sound of confusion. Even with what I had been experiencing so far, I didn’t anticipate some sort of honor code for predators.

“He’s not for eating, Marble,” Armon replied, “for now, treat him like any other invited guest I would have.” Armon finally set me down in front of the vixen. Even at a younger age, she was a bit taller than me. She looked me over, curiosity clear on her face.

“Little one,” Armon finally directed something at me, “please, for now it would be best if you stay here. At least until I say it’s safe. And Marble, don’t be rough with him. I’m going to regroup with the rest of the hunting party.”

“Please be careful, papa.”

Even back then, I detected something in Marble’s voice. Not what I would expect of someone our age at the time, where we just didn’t want to see a parent leave, but something deeper. It felt like true sadness. What confirmed this was when they shared an embrace.

“I promise, I’ll be back soon, Marble.” With that, Armon left, leaving me with Marble.

Admittedly, it was a rather awkward moment between us. After only a few seconds, I found myself sitting down against, trying to keep to myself. Marble, on the other hand, continued to study me. I had to admit, I didn’t like being treated like something to be examined. Though at the same time, I really was the strangest thing around here at the moment.

“So, you heard my name already, what’s yours?”

This knocked me back into attention. It was only then that I realized that I had yet to have any sort of introduction with anyone I had been in contact with through this entire ordeal. I figured to fix this, as I didn’t want to be referred to as “the rabbit” while I was here, with Armon’s “little one” being marginally better.

“David,” I finally responded, “my name is David.”

“Okay, David,” Marble acknowledged, “why did papa bring you here? You’re the only rabbit he’s ever brought that we weren’t supposed to eat. Did your parents give you to him?”

I couldn’t help myself. As soon as she mentioned my mother and father, I immediately shrank back further against the wall. With what had just happened to them, I did not want to think about this. I expected Marble to prod further, yet she didn’t.

“Okay, we don’t have to talk about that right now.”

I looked up at her after she said that. I noticed that she was looking to the side, with her ears down. It seemed that just my reaction told her all she needed to know. We sat in silence for a bit longer. It was some time before it was broken.

“So, want to play? We can’t do too much here, and papa would probably tell the guards not to let us out, but I can do this!”

I saw that Marble had sat down in front of me and stretched out her arms, as if she was focusing on something there. To my astonishment, I saw a faint light start to materialize, and rather quickly began to grow in size. It wasn’t long before it grew into a ball, white with black stripes. Marble rolled it to me, as if there was nothing special to it. I couldn’t help but pick it up and began to examine it. I noticed that Marble was smiling at my fascination.

“Papa told me it’s a kind of ‘magic,’” Marble said, “Not a lot of mammals can do things like this.”

“Can your dad do this?” I asked.

“No,” she replied, “it was my mom who could do magic, but hers was different from mine. I was told that different people can do different things. Mom could do cool things like make things hotter or colder if she wanted! I even saw her make little things of lightning!”

This ‘magic’ was something I hadn’t heard of from the rest of my clan. I thought that it was rare, but I was sure that if my people knew about it, we’d be warned that it was dangerous. I noticed that Marble seemed to perk up when she was talking about her mother, but when she was done, her ears drooped a bit once again. Did something happen to her mother?

“I learned that I could make these instead,” Marble immediately changed back to the initial subject, “I can make these have some different shapes, too! Papa wanted me to try that, since I first learned about making balls like this. I can even make them float!” Marble then proceeded to show off this last ability. I couldn’t help but find myself in awe of all of this. She then rolled it towards me. I could see that she wanted me to at least pass the time, getting my mind off of the day I had just experience. In all honesty, it really helped.

We had lost all sense of time while Marble continued to show off what she could do with these orbs. Some time later, Armon returned, though I noticed a familiar smell to him. He smiled when he saw how Marble and I were getting along.

“Marble, could you please join me at the entrance?” he began. “Little one, please stay put for a short while. I’ll come join you momentarily.”

Marble gleefully went with Armon, soon out of sight and hearing. To my surprise, the ball that Marble had made seemingly dissolved. Seemed that she had to be near for them to stay in existence. This left me alone with my thoughts, something I didn’t want to do. I don’t know how long I waited, but the next thing I noticed was Armon returning. Marble was not with him. Armon simply sat down close next to me, and draped an arm around my small body. With his other arm, he offered me leaves and what smelled like sweet roots. I didn’t realize until then just how hungry I was, and finished what he brought me rather quickly.

“David, is it?” Armon said to break the silence, “you will be cared for here until we can find a warren willing to take you in. I promise, we’ll do what we can to make you comfortable.”

I ended up leaning up against him. I could no longer help myself, as I finally began sobbing against him. Armon curled his tail around me, trying to offer comfort. Once again, I don’t know how much time had passed, but when I had calmed down, I noticed that Marble had returned. She merely looked upon me, a visage of sadness upon her. Armon was the first to say something.

“It’s late,” he said, “we should all get some rest. Come with us, little one.”

I followed Armon and Marble further into their den. Soon we came to a stop, and I could make out a section on the floor, obviously hollowed out for sleeping. They looked similar to the ones in my clan. Armon settled down first, followed by Marble. I ended up taking a spot between the two. Once we were down, Armon curled his tail around the two of us.

I suddenly realized how exhausted I was from all of this, yet I kept note of the smell I picked up on Armon and now Marble suddenly had. It was from this that I knew why Armon had insisted on making sure I didn’t come up; they both smelled of blood, quite obviously rabbit. Armon didn’t want me to see what his clan needed to do with my people. While I knew that this was better than simply letting them rot as Armon did indeed have his own people to feed, I had a difficult time accepting this fact. Something that Armon seemed to have been well aware of.

I never would have imagined that my life would have taken this strange turn. Neither did I believe that things could get stranger. At that moment, all I cared for was sleep.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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This was a really splendid chapter! Keep up the good work!
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks! It’s been pretty interesting to write.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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This is coming along nicely D-Rock, I'm enjoying learning more about the characters, Marble seems particularly intriguing, I think you caught the whole predator prey dynamic well in this.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Great work, D-Rock.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks, everyone.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Part 1 Chapter 3
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I don’t recall having any special dreams that night. Maybe I was too exhausted. What I do remember was waking up and noticing that Armon wasn’t there. I couldn’t make out much in the dim light, as those white sticks seemed to have been extinguished. I recalled the elders of my clan warning that foxes are incredibly adept at seeing in the dark, as a warning that the darkness may not hide us from them. After getting myself up, I accidentally placed my hand on Marble’s body. I hadn’t noticed how close she was in the darkness, but it woke her up. Most I heard was her yawning, and what sounded like popping sounds, which I guess were the results of stretches. It wasn’t long before she seemed alert.

“Oh, good morning!”

Well, she was certainly quick to reach a rather chipper state.

“I could show you out if you need help. Papa told me that rabbits have a hard time seeing without light.”

As if I needed any more reminders that rabbits have some disadvantages to a lot of predators. But I knew better than to turn down an offer of help from someone willing to, so I accepted.

Marble led my by the hand through the wide corridors, until I could finally see sunlight coming through. I could make out two guards at the den entrance, though as I got closer, I noticed that they were different from the ones I saw yesterday. One took notice of us, but then turned their attention back to someone outside. Eventually I could make out the familiar voice of Armon.

“-after I tried to establish myself as coming in peace, they refused to grant me an audience.”

“Chief, considering how many of their number we’ve brought back here, I don’t think we can blame them.”

It might have been instinct, but once again I found myself shrinking back a little from this. Marble noticed, yet kept a hold on my hand. This kind of talk in regards to how they were with rabbits definitely took some getting used to. It was then that Armon himself noticed me.

“Oh, David!” he almost exclaimed, obviously embarrassed by the choice of words that were just used, “I didn’t expect you to be up already. I’ve started searching for a warren that would be willing to take you in. I’ll be heading to another warren soon. For the moment, please stay within our borders, for your safety. Marble, could you keep an eye on him?”

“Alright, Papa!” Marble exclaimed. She ran up and gave Armon an embrace. Armon then went to one of the borders of the clan, followed by a few other armed foxes. “So, David,” Marble continued, “if you want, I can show you around, let the others know you!”

I had no clue how long I would have to here, so I decided that it would help to get to know everyone. I figured it would also help to get fewer foxes to consider me their prey whenever I did integrate with another clan.

“Okay, lead the way.”

Once again, Marble grabbed my hand and began to lead me round. Our first stop was where an older-looking fox was working, making the same boards that all of the guards and Armon were using. He appeared to be rather gruff fox, with a dull orange coat with several patches of silver fur, hammering away at a board, which had the shape of half an oval.

“Mr. Zorren!” Marble called out to the fox, “I wanted to show David some of what you do!” Despite his serious demeanor, a smile formed on his face and set down his hammer.

“Hello there, Marble! Would this be the rabbit that Armon brought in?”

“He is,” Marble responded, “I thought it would be good for him to let him know everyone here!”

It was apparent that this Zorren saw that I was fascinated by his work, as his next question was directed at me.
“Haven’t seen how shields are made, little one?”

I simply shook my head no. These were most definitely something I had not seen before in my clan. I also saw a glimpse of the long knives that the guards were carrying as well on his table. I could gather that he was in charge of arming everyone here.

“Well, everyone here is supposed to learn how to defend themselves. I make sure that everyone has a shield and dagger for such an occasion. Of course, for those who are just learning, we don’t give them real weapons. Just these wooden ones, but they can leave some nasty bruises, too.”

With this, he pulled out a circular shield and a dagger, both made entirely of wood. I noticed that there was a paw-shaped marking on the shield, however.

“Oh, this marking? It represents our clan, David,” Zorren said, noticing how I was looking curiously at the marking. “I take it you haven’t been told of this. Our clan is called the ‘Foxpaw,’ a simple name, yet many for miles around has at least heard of us. If I had to be honest, I would have liked to implement this emblem on our guard shields, but the Chief before Armon insisted on our actual tools only having designs that would be beneficial, and he thought that our insignia wasn’t beneficial enough, and unfortunately Armon hasn’t changed this. Said our pendants are symbol enough.”

He let me take a closer look at the wooden shield. For my size at the time, it was incredibly heavy, yet I found myself drawn to it.

“Papa said that when I get older, I’ll get to learn how to use these right,” Marble chipped in, “I almost want to see if I can see how to use these balls I can make in how these fight, but Papa said that he wants me to learn how to use these without them first.”

“It is important to learn the basics, Marble,” Zorren replied, “in the chance that you can’t rely on your magic, you’d need to know how to properly use regular tools. But don’t lose sight of that idea! Sometimes what’s important in a skirmish is how you can adapt everything you have available to the situation!”

I handed the shield back to him, as best as I could, honestly. Zorren seemed to admire the work that went into the shield.

“I wish I could say that I made all of our gear, honestly,” he went on, “But the truth is, the Chief’s own sword and shield were made by those that live in the villages. He was able to hammer out some sort of deal to make a superior weapon. Now, I’m proud of what I manage to do with my own forge and hammer, but I ain’t too proud to admit that someone out there has better equipment and better skills. Armon’s gear, now those are things of beauty, and that’s not getting into what went into his heirloom gear.” I cocked my head a bit at this. I had only seen Armon with one pair of his weapons.

“According to the stories,” Zorren continued, “that sword and shield have been in his family for far longer than even the previous chief was alive. Supposedly they belonged to the clan founders, but the details have been hazy on when that was. They’re more ceremonial than anything, but the fact that they haven’t dulled or rusted in all these years should be a testament for how well they were made. Heh, look at me rambling about all of this, I bet you have others you’d like to introduce David to, don’t you, Marble?”

“Yeah, I want to introduce him to Mr. Hazel next!” Marble answered. With that, we said our goodbyes, and Marble led me to another part of the clan grounds, this time to where I saw a variety of plants growing, taking up a rather large segment of ground in front of a den. From within came a younger-looking fox with a gray coat, perhaps more so than Armon. He had what I recognized as digging tools, which looked similar to the ones my father used while tending the healer’s garden in my clan. In fact, I recognized several of the plants as medicinal. The fox seemed surprised to see us there waiting for him.

“Oh, Marble, and...Daniel, was it?”

“David,” I corrected.

“Sorry about that,” he continued, “Admittedly I’m not the greatest with names. So, how can I help you two this morning?”

“I wanted to help David get to know everyone here!” Marble replied. I had to admit, I found myself paying a bit more attention to the various plants in front of us.

“So, I hope that you enjoyed what the Chief brought to you last night. Came directly from my garden here! I put my pride in everything that grows.”

I looked up, and compared to his neutral expression that he had when he first saw us, I saw that he was beaming when talking about his plants. I wished my father was like that, but it’s I’m sure it’s hard to have pride in something that you were initially forced to.

“I provide both our cook and our healer with many of the things they need. Every job here is incredibly important for the well-being of others, so it’s always important to put your all in it.”

“Foxes eat plants?”

Looking back, I should have realized that it was a stupid question. Even Marble had a confused look on her face. Only now do I turn red with embarrassment over that.

“Um, yes?” Hazel stuttered, “I’m going to guess that you’ve heard stories that all we do is eat other animals?” I merely nodded my head in affirmation. “Well, I have to admit, these are more of a supplement to our diets. But since I took charge of this garden, I’ve been able to get a good deal of crops out even during wintertime. I’m sure you know that winter is a harsh time for all species around here. Probably the only time I truly envy those living in the towns. Plus, it was a good thing we did, it’ll make your time around here a bit more comfortable.”

“Well, I should get back to tending them for the day,” Hazel suddenly said, “I need to make sure each plant still has plenty of drainage. I’ve received word that the rains should be coming again soon.”

We said our goodbyes to Hazel, then Marble led me to who she said was their healer. I had to admit, this was quite an eye-opener for me. With how much it was drilled into our heads that foxes wouldn’t think twice about eating any rabbit they found, I was surprised that they also ate plants, and also that lack of food was something they had to deal with in winter as well.

On our way to the healer’s den, we bumped into another fox, one I most definitely had not seen in these two days, carrying what looked like a rather large jar of water. It was hard to tell anything from looking at the fox, as they were completely clad in garments, and I had not seen any other member of the clan here wearing anything like clothing. Looking up, I could make out white fur that seemed to have no other pattern, a pink nose, and most strikingly, from the darkness of the hood, piercing red eyes. I at least recognized this anomaly, as there was a member of my previous clan who had a similar coat. The fox we bumped into was an albino.

“My apologies,” the fox said, in a feminine yet still rather deep voice, “the sun is rather bright today, so I didn’t see-”

Her sentence trailing off was something I hadn’t expected. I could tell that she was looking at me. In fact, I have to admit that I was beginning to get somewhat uncomfortable with her stare. Thankfully, Marble broke the awkward silence.

“Ms. Bianca, this is David! He’s the rabbit that Papa brought home. I’ve been introducing him to everyone.”

“I see,” Bianca answered, “Forgive me, but I’m not one to talk much. If you’ll excuse me, there are some things I need to attend to. May we get a better chance to talk.” And with that, she left to another part of the grounds, out of sight.

“It was good that we bumped into her,” Marble said, “better here than her den, at least. I was hoping we’d be able to talk somewhere else.” Marble seemed to have lost a little bit of her chipper attitude saying this.

“What’s wrong with meeting her at her den?” I inquired. With how open everyone had been so far, the sudden shift was jarring.

“Well, Ms. Bianca doesn’t like to talk too much, especially with visitors or newer foxes that join the clan. But, well...” Now it was Marble’s turn suddenly stop. She looked at me, and obviously saw that I really wanted to know. “She’s the main one to help prepare the food.”

It took all of a second for me to understand the hesitancy from the both of them. No matter what I did, this discomfort kept creeping up into the day. I figured it was a good idea to change the subject.

“Why does she wear all of those clothes?” I finally got out, “I don’t see anyone else with those.” This had the intended effect of Marble perking right back up.

“Oh, Papa told me that it’s because she’s what he said was ‘albino?’” Marble answered. So I was right. “He told me that animals like that are a lot more sensitive to bright light and it makes their skin hurt if they’re in it too long. Ms. Bianca mostly stays in her den or comes out at night. I don’t see her outside of the day a lot, but she probably needed that water she was carrying, because there’s a stream close enough to us that she doesn’t have to worry about being out long. I remember Mama gave her those clothes for when she did come out after a trip to a village.”

This part I had to admit was new to me. I didn’t know the sun had anything to do with their health, though once again I thought back to my former clanmate who was suffering the same. He always had something covering his eyes, and he did get sickly from being out too long. He probably would have been a lot more comfortable if he had something to cover himself with, if we knew that could help. And once again, she mentioned her mother. As much as I wanted to ask about her, I still felt that it wouldn’t be a good idea to bring up that question. I was brought back to the situation at hand when Marble once again grabbed my paw and headed in the direction of where she said the healer resided.

Eventually we reached a den where we saw a sandy-colored vixen wrapping bandages around the arm of a possibly teenage red fox. The two of them briefly glanced at us before returning to whatever it was that was going on.

“-and it should heal nicely. Just remember, treat your blades with care, and they’ll do the same for you.”
“I get it, Marla. I think I can’t get too much grief over an accident.”

“We all think that. The danger is when we briefly forget that, like when we want to show off.”

The bandaged fox went about his way, merely offering a wave to Marble, but it was easy to see that he was also giving me a weird look. At this point, I didn’t pay that detail any mind, and instead went with Marble to the sandy fox.

“Good to see you, Marble,” she started, “looks like your giving our guest a tour? My name is Marla, as you probably heard, little one. What’s your name?”

“David,” I answered. To my surprise, she held out a hand to me. She was the first to introduce herself like this. Most of the adults even in my clan didn’t reach over to shake with children, but I still returned the gesture.

“I’ve heard about what happened to your warren, David. I promise, everyone here will do what they can to help you. Armon is a fox of his word, despite what others may say about us.” Marla seemed genuine in wishing me well, though with what I had seen so far, should have been a given.

“Ms. Marla looks after everyone here when they get hurt,” Marble chided in, “she’s been here a long time, since when my Papa was little!”

“Indeed,” Marla said, “with age comes experience. Though I have Armon’s father to thank for some of my knowledge, as if it weren’t for his attempts to reach out, it is unlikely that the Snowpaw clan would be willing to share their knowledge of the subject.”

“Snowpaw?” I asked, “there are other foxes?” I had seen snow before, but I had never thought that there would be a clan of foxes that were tied to it.

“There are many different kinds of foxes, not just reds, David,” Marla stated, “the Snowpaw are a clan of artic foxes living in the mountains. They’re smaller than us reds, but they’re very well-built to withstand the cold, and they were quite knowledgeable in medicines and therapies. The previous chief sought out relations with many clans, something that Armon has since expanded upon. We’ve even managed to formulate a connection with the Brokenearth clan, a clan of cougars who are essentially the peacekeepers of the surrounding area.

“Unfortunately,” she continued, “we haven’t quite made as many connections as would be ideal. There’s the Brushfang clan, with whom the leader has a rather petty grudge against Armon. He says it’s about our hunting grounds, which every clan is expected to keep in mind when out, though overlap is impossible to avoid, though if you ask me, I think there’s something else to this animosity.”

“Wherever you end up, David, it’s important to learn who any neighboring clans are. It could save your life.”

We probably could have spoken longer, but I felt and heard my stomach rumble. I hadn’t realized how late things had gotten when I realized how high the sun was.

“Well, don’t let me hold you from your lunch,” Marla stated with a smile, “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”

“Okay, we’ll see you later!” Marble said, “C’mon, David, I think I know a place you might like!”

And once again, she led my by the arm, this time heading towards one of the clan entrances. I was surprised that she was taking me out of the clan grounds. The two guards noticed we were coming long before we even arrived.

“Hi, Mr. Cory and Ms. Rebekah! Is it alright if David and I eat from the bush over there?” Marble pointed to what looked like a berry bush. The two guards wordlessly nodded. The bush was in clear view of the guards, so we didn’t have to be worried about attackers. Mirage sat down in front of it and motioned me to do the same. I was definitely looking forward to this, as while they weren’t all that rare in my previous clan, berry bushes weren’t this immediately available. We had to wait on the scouts to come back with something, and with how much they avoided treading the same paths, they always brought something different. But I knew that it would be best to keep from gorging myself on this, otherwise we’d run out quickly. Even Marble seemed to take things slowly. What I hadn’t expected was Marble trying to spark up conversation.

“So what do rabbits normally eat? I saw Papa take leaves and roots to the den last night, but is there anything else?”

Couldn’t blame her for asking. I had just asked about what foxes ate not long ago.

“Most of the roots my clan had were bland but filling,” I answered, “we did keep a garden with enough plants to keep us fed enough, and a few sweeter roots. But most of the time, we ate some of the long grass that grew around the clan grounds. There were always plenty of that, since they grew really fast. For winters, those plants were dried, since most other foods were harder to find.”

“Okay,” Marble responded, “Maybe bring this up with Mr. Hazel! Winter is a long time away, but Papa always did say that planning is important!”

Did she think I was going to be staying that long? We were in the middle of spring. Then again, I had no idea how long it would take to find for them to find a warren. I couldn’t help but wonder how long their hospitality would last, despite how friendly everyone seemed to be.

“Oh, ew,” Marble suddenly said. There was always someone to expel certain trains of thought today.

“What is it?” I asked. “Rotten berry?”

“No, not that bad,” she responded, “just this started crawling on my hand.”

She held up her hand and showed what looked like a beetle had attached itself to her. It was a rather small one, didn’t think it was a big deal.

“Never liked the taste of these things, but some of the older foxes say it’s a good replacement for meat in times where catching something was harder. I don’t know how, but even Papa said that food was food.” Yet another thing to add to things I never knew about foxes. It really was too bad that bugs didn’t come in much bigger that I was aware of. Probably have left us a reason to not be so afraid of predators.

Marble merely flicked it off of her hand, to which it simply landed on mine. “Sorry about that,” Marble said in response. Though I had to admit, seeing it so close left me curious. After briefly examining the beetle, I popped it into my mouth. Strangely enough, I didn’t think it was that bad. Texture was definitely interesting, but not what I’d call unpleasant. Guess bugs were something we didn’t consider in my clan.

And then I noticed the disgusted look Marble was giving me.

“I...didn’t know rabbits ate bugs,” she finally said.

“Honestly,” I began, “I didn’t know either. Just wanted to know if these were any good. And I think they’re okay.”

“Alright,” Marble said, “but if you get sick, we at least know why.” We continued snacking on some of the berries on the bush, and I also helped myself to some of the leaves on the bush. I didn’t want to fill myself on something so sweet.

“I think we can head back now,” Marble said, I can introduce you to the rest of the clan. We’ll have to wait for the guards to be off-duty, though. Papa said not to distract them too much while they’re at the entrances.”

This did explain why she was very to-the-point when speaking with the guards earlier. Once again, Marble dragged me around the clan, introducing me to everyone she could get to. I had to admit, I was exhausted once we were done for the day, and the sun was setting. We were leaning against her den, exhausted from all of the running around we did for the day. As time passed, we noticed sounds coming from one of the clan entrances. Upon inspecting, we saw that Armon and his guards returned from their trek. Despite her exhaustion, Marble bolted to meet up with her father. I decided to follow as best I could. It seemed that Marble always had this well of energy to spare. As I got closer, I noticed that one of the guards had a bandage wrapped around his arm, and it looked like it was stained with fresh blood. Armon motioned for him in the direction of Marla’s den just as Marble and I reached him. Like last night, he and Marble had a strong embrace before speaking with the guards.

“Unfortunately, the RapidWind clan isn’t taking any orphans. They’re apparently stretching themselves thin due to loss of capable members as of late. They don’t have much to spare caring for their own kits right now. In that regard, spread the word that we should avoid taking from their clan for the foreseeable future. I’d rather we not be a reason for a clan to be wiped out.”

“Are you sure this isn’t some focused attack, Chief?” asked one of the guards, “hard to believe that their numbers would dwindle that quickly.”

“I have my suspicions that there is indeed something going on, but I have no knowledge as to what could be happening.” There was a sound of concern in Armon’s voice from this. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the marauders that attacked my clan.

“What attacked you on the way back?” asked the other guard.

“Some group of travelers apparently finding a shortcut through the wilderness to another settlement. Their guard saw us and thought that we were a threat. Caro took a slash from him before easily knocking him out. We explained that we weren’t on a hunt afterwards before parting ways. In all honesty, I don’t know how well they’ll fare with their hired muscle being incapacitated so easily, but frankly, that’s not our concern.” What surprised me was the amount of anger I could feel from his words. I had been hearing throughout my introductions that Armon was a rather easygoing leader, which further confirmed how he was with me, but apparently even he had limits.

Armon cooled down rather quickly from this, and turned his attention to me.

“I’ll have the search continue tomorrow, David. I hope that Marble kept you in good company?”

“She did,” I answered, “she’s been introducing me to everyone here.”

“I see, good job, Marble,” he said, turning to her. “For now, I’d say it’s about time for dinner. Um, David, could you wait in our den for this? I’ll make sure to bring you something.”

I hated being this much of a burden, but I also didn’t want to see what their meal times were like. There were many in my clan.

Like the previous day, I stayed within the den, this time Armon stayed with me. When he joined me, he came carrying some type of reed with a small flame at the end, and proceeded to light a few of the white sticks in our section. It seemed he was more familiar with what rabbits ate than Marble, as this time he brought a small bundle of long grasses with him. He sat next to me like last time. He seemed exhausted once he relaxed, which made sense considering that he probably had to do a lot of walking, and then adding to that the attack he mentioned.

“So,” he finally began, “I hope that you were able to get to know most everyone?”

“Not all of the guards,” I answered, “Marble says to speak to them when they’re not busy.”

“Aye, indeed something important to keep in mind. They need to be alert to their surroundings so that they can react to potential threats. Some are resting tomorrow, so that would be an opportune time to get to know them.”

“Mr. Armon?” I asked, “Do you not like mammals from the villages?”

“Ah, that, not truly,” he answered, “I’ve set some trade relations with some of the nearby ones. They have access to things we can’t easily find or find at all that could be useful. Sometimes I take a group to see if we have anything they want in return, but sometimes I have to rely on the currency they use.”

“’Currency?’” I asked.

“A concept for another day, David. They run things very differently from us at many times. Usually we offer some of the herbs that are grown or the shields and daggers that are forged. My father decided that keeping our emblems off of them could make them so that there won’t be confusion should we spread them about the public. Can’t have just anyone carrying our clan emblem. But if we’re able to, we sometimes bring along trinkets we may...find...on our hunts.”

This was definitely an odd way to say it, but I figured that if any prey has something valuable, they’d make the most of it.

“So you were only upset at that group for hurting one of the guards?”

“It’s more nuanced than that, David,” he answered. He seemed to take a deep breath in preparation for what he was about to say next. “As Chief, it’s my responsibility to do everything in my power to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the clan. I can’t be successful all of the time, but I’ll definitely try. If we were hunting that group for food, then I can’t truly blame them entirely for harming one of mine. We’re all trying to survive, after all, and hunting carries risks. But they were in no danger from us, they don’t feed on us ferals in the first place, and we even tried to tell them that we meant no harm. This individual still disregarded everything and attacked. That I can’t let go so easily. If they’re going to have a worthwhile guard, they can’t have someone to quick to rush into things. It’ll only lead to needless harm.”

I thought I could hear a growl rising as he was speaking. He was much different from how my previous chief did things. To him, literally everyone was a potential enemy who was not to be tolerated. I briefly wondered if my chief was just wrong on everything, but then I remembered Marla’s words that there was a rival fox clan that was probably nothing like Armon.

I caught myself before asking another question. I was about to ask him about what happened to Marble’s mother. He noticed my hesitancy, but when I didn’t say anything else, he didn’t pry. We spent a few moments like this, when eventually Marble appeared to allow Armon time to eat. My time with Marble wasn’t much different, though she told me that she wanted to introduce me to the rest of the clan, something I figured, considering a number of them were unavailable today. Finally, Armon reappeared from outside.

“We should probably get some sleep now,” he said, “We’ve all had a very long day.”

We all went back to the familiar set from the previous night, and even got in the same sleeping positions as before. I couldn’t help but think that I’d have to get used to this, after hearing how two warrens now had to turn down a new member. At least the foxes here were nice to me.

“Tomorrow, I’ll send an envoy to speak with other warrens,” Armon suddenly said, “I can’t always be away from the clan. Plus, it’ll give us time to speak, David.”

“Alright,” I answered, “I think I’d like that.”

I felt like I was learning more in these few days than I probably would have living my life in my previous warren. But I had to admit, I hoped that some clan would be willing to take me in, soon.

“So, Papa, can rabbits eat bugs without getting sick?”

...of course, count on Marble to snap me back...
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Oy, did not anticipate how long this would get. I do worry that future chapters could be the same, but I wanted to take the time to at least bring up a few other players. I probably won't draw them up, but I needed to have someone to explain how life in the clan was like for the most part.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

It doesn't matter that the chapter was a bit longer than usual because I enjoyed reading it! Great job on this Rocky!
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks! I know I’ve already revealed a ton in unconnected images, so I’m hoping that this does a better job at easing people into a world and learning a bit into how certain characters work.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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It's a good read. I can excuse some of the wording being a bit complex for a youngster because it's being retold in his adulthood and we know a lot of more complex words.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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That was indeed something I was concerned about, their choice of words not matching a five and seven year old.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Like I say, don't worry about it too much. You can get away with it somewhat as it's narration of the narrator's younger life. It could be termed a minor example of what's known as the 'unreliable narrator', giving a hint that, although the events are 95% true, there's a little embellishment involved. Or, it could hint that he's not used to telling the story.

In one of mine, I'm using a character who narrates in first person, present tense - 'I head down the street and see...' rather than 'I headed down the street and saw...' - but I brought in a character doing that sort of thing for the first time and she's occasionally mixing up the tenses because she's new to it. 99% of people reading won't notice and, if written well - like yours - they won't mind, even if they do spot it.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Alright, then. Yeah, this is supposed to be the first time he's telling the story, and it's a long story.

I know I want to do a timeskip, but only after I feel that I've explained enough how the world works and some major events in David's life.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Caught up now, great so far D-Rock, looking forward to the next installment. You have a knack for creating interesting characters and worlds and the way the various clans interact seems plausible.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks, that’s quite the compliment, considering I’m writing things as I go. :)
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Well you can't tell from the writing, all makes sense to me.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Even if it didn't make sense though it is a really nice story that you wouldn't notice it!
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Part 1 Chapter 4
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Chapter 4

I was woken up the next day when I felt movement. I sat up, but of course, it was too dark this far in the den to even see anything. The only clue I received was the voice I heard.

“Oh, David, my apologies for waking you,” I heard Armon say, “I need to set up a patrol to head to other warrens. The remaining ones are further out, so I need to dispatch everyone early. Feel free to return to your sleep, I have other duties to attend to afterwards.”

I was admittedly still kind of tired, and I could hear that Marble was still fast asleep, so I decided to try to do so as well. I had no idea how early it was, but I was sure that Marble would wake me whenever she did. Turned out that I was right, as what seemed like almost instantly after laying down, I was shaken by her.

“C’mon, David, it’s almost midday!”

This was enough to jolt me awake. Even in my own warren, I didn’t like sleeping in that much. Turned out, at this time, a good amount of light entered from the den entrance, so Marble didn’t need to lead me as much. As soon as we exited the den, we were indeed greeted by the sun in a high position. We could see that many of the others were already going about their day, and a few of the guards I had been introduced to the previous day were now in the clan entrances. I figured that much of my day would be spent getting introduced to the others now that they were off duty.

It certainly didn’t help that it turned out that all of them did different things on their day off, as Marble had to bring me with her as we practically ran around the clan grounds looking for them. I’m pretty sure that there was a more efficient way of doing this, if only I had managed to calm down Marble at the time. I wasn’t sure how, but it seemed that she always had a well of energy to draw from.

“Alright,” Marble said, “one more person left! I think he might be training with Papa.”

I couldn’t be more grateful that we were almost done. I think I remember thanking whatever higher power there was for soon being freed from all of this running around. Like she always did, Marble led me by the hand towards our new destination.

Before we even got there, I could hear the clanging of what sounded like wood. As we got nearer, I could make out Armon seemingly in a fight with another fox. This one was one I hadn’t even seen yesterday; he was quite colorful compared to the others in the clan, with black, brown and white fur. He was using the training weapons I saw yesterday, while Armon was using a longer version, obviously meant to emulate his preferred sword.

Marble and I kept our distance, merely watching their sparring. I never knew that any type of combat could be “graceful” until I saw this. Each movement seemed fluid and precise, almost with a sense of choreography. Just about each strike was expertly blocked, though the few that did hit their mark only warranted a brief pause. Many of these hits would warrant an immediate halt if they were using real blades.

I lost track of how long we were standing there watching, but eventually Armon gave a signal that ended the sparring. The two foxes took a moment to catch their breaths, before Armon finally acknowledged the two of us.
“I take it the two of you have finished your tours?” he asked.

“Almost!” replied Marble, “Mr. Mylo is the last one.”

“Well, perfect timing on your part, Little Lady,” the other fox replied, “I’d say your dad and I got some good exercise in.”

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Mylo, the captain of the guard within the Foxpaw clan. I take it you’re David?”

I acknowledged this. Seemed rather late to meet someone this important to the clan, but I guessed he was busy yesterday.

“We should probably see Marla about these bruises,” Armon interjected, “You’ve gotten better at counterattacking, Mylo.”

“Many thanks, Chief, but you go on ahead for now,” Mylo answered, “I’d like to speak with David for a little while, if that’s alright.”

I was really surprised by this. This was the first time that one of them asked for me.

“Can you look after David, Mr. Mylo?” Marble suddenly asked, “I want to go with Papa.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure no harm comes to him. You have my word, Miss Marble,” Mylo answered. Well, I figured I wouldn’t always have Marble around during my stay here, so it wouldn’t hurt to get used to the others by myself. Armon and Marble headed in the direction of Marla’s den.

“Seems Marble has taken a shine to you, David,” Mylo said.

“Looks like it,” I responded, “is she like this with other outsiders?”

“Well,” he started, “it’s not like she has an opportunity to speak with others close to her age. Most visitors to our clan don’t bring their own young, and Marble hasn’t had an opportunity to go to the villages yet, though Armon has told me that he does want to take her to the nearest one soon.”

“I saw that there aren’t other kits around here,” I said. Knowing that it’s common for those in my clan to have children, I was surprised to see that that wasn’t the case here. The only other children we saw were much older than Marble, all in their teens, and most already taking roles among the clan.

“Aye, it’s as simple as the others haven’t considered having more children,” Mylo brought up, “but it’s not like it couldn’t have been different. Armon and Artemis did consider having more children. It’s a shame that never came to pass.”

Now this had caught my attention. I hadn’t heard any mention of Artemis from Marble or even the other foxes I had been introduced to, yet they all had something to say about Armon.

“Who’s Artemis?”

Suddenly Mylo seemed nervous at my question.
“Well, about that,” he eventually answered, “Artemis was the chief’s mate and Marble’s mother. She was also the previous captain, and one of the best hunters we’ve had in a long time. Her passing devastated all of us, but her family was of course hurt the worst. She even trained me to be her replacement. I just didn’t want to gain my position this way.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Mylo seemed to hesitate.

“It was a skirmish during a hunt,” he finally said. “She not only won, but saved Armon, but the injuries were too much for her to survive. We were close to attacking the clan the one responsible was from in retaliation, but Armon surprisingly talked us out of it. Once we calmed down, we realized that such an action would have only led to more unnecessary death.”

Things were finally making sense. What Armon told me about how the world was last night seemed to have been influenced by his loss, as well as why Marble was so clingy to her father.

“By the way, it would be best if you didn’t bring any of this up with either of those two,” Mylo continued, “it’s still a hard thing for them to talk about. Not even Aurum would dare talk about her to Armon. Besides, chasing off a bear is something the rest of the tribes view as worthy of respect.”

“I guess you don’t know about Aurum, either,” Mylo stated, as if reading my mind, “he’s the current leader of the Brushfang Clan. Really despises Armon, but he’s smart enough to know when to pick his battles.”

“Look, David,” he suddenly said, “it would be best if we dropped the subject for now, and please keep my warning in mind. I really wanted to know about this.” At this, Mylo presented a familiar sight; a spear belonging to my clan. “This is what everyone in your clan used, right?”

“Only the guards,” I answered, “everyone else had to use simple knives. But we were told that it was better to run if we ran into trouble.” Mylo furrowed his brow at this.

“I see,” he answered, “Zoren and I looked over one of these after one of the search party brought it back to us. Hate to say it, but it’s a wonder these things even held together. Did your clan ever reach out to others to improve on their weapons?”

“No, the chief didn’t let many people into the clan,” I answered, “My mom said it took a long time for them to accept my dad, too. My chief used to say that we were safest when they left us alone.”

“I see,” Mylo said, “unfortunately, they may have stood a better chance if they were open. They could have learned to make better weapons, or formed an alliance for defense. Too many believe that seclusion is safety, but in reality it’s vulnerability. David, I hope that whichever clan takes you in, that you’ll remember this. Be open to others, while at the same time knowing when to guard yourself. I know, it takes a while to learn this balance, but it’s better than either extreme.”

“And it looks like it’s my turn to head out,” Mylo suddenly said. I turned to look in the direction he suddenly turned to, and I saw Marble and Armon on their way back to where we were, Armon wearing a few bandages.

“I hope your talk was informative?” Armon asked.

“Of course!” Mylo replied, “always helps to know what things were like elsewhere. Well, David, I’ll be heading my way. Hope we get to speak at another time.”

Mylo left for his own treatments, leaving me with Armon and Marble. Despite what Mylo said, I couldn’t help but view the two of them differently after learning of the pain they went through. Thankfully, Armon was able to interrupt these thoughts. A nice change from Marble, honestly.

“Well, I think we have enough free time to head to the river to relax. How’d you like to join us, David?”

After seeing everything from a rather breakneck pace for the past two days, a change in scenery sounded like a good idea, so I accepted. Armon led us through one of the entrances to a nearby river. It was in clear view of the guards, so Armon didn’t tell them to join us. Seemed he wanted to keep this with his family and guest. As much as I appreciated the shelter, I found that I really liked being out here.

The sun was glistening off of the water, shining a brilliant light in many directions, the sky was clear, and I could easily see fish swimming in the waters. Marble seemed to enjoy trying to catch some of them, but no luck. Armon merely sat along the banks keeping an eye on us, keeping his sword close at hand. The two seemed happy just to have this moment together.

Armon called for us to return as the sun began to set. I had to admit, I think I enjoyed my time with them as much as they did with each other. To our surprise, we saw Bianca coming towards us, as if she had something important to tell us. When she did reach us, her attention was focused solely on Armon.

“Chief, some representatives of the BrokenEarth tribe wanted to see you just now. They’re waiting at the opposite entrance.”

I looked up at Armon, and he seemed concerned. I recalled that the only thing I knew of the clan was that they were peacekeepers. It must be important business if they showed up all of a sudden.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll see to them immediately.”

Armon headed off to where he was told they were waiting, with both Marble and I following behind. Soon we saw the representatives, and I was surprised by them. I knew they were predators to avoid, but I never expected them to be so much taller than the foxes around here, both about a head higher than everyone else around here. The only things they seemed to wear as well were what looked like arm straps with metal around the edges, each bearing some insignia. Once they saw us coming, I could tell that their immediate attention was drawn towards me. They seemed to brush it off, as they returned to face Armon.

“Chief Armon, I’m aware that you know of the current plight of the RapidWind clan,” one of them began, “do you have any suspicions as to the culprit or culprits?”

“I only have suspicions, but nothing assured,” Armon answered, “This little one here,” he said, motioning towards me, “had his clan decimated recently, but I’m not sure it matches what I know of the RapidWind. I do not fully believe that they’re related, but it’s something else to keep on the lookout for.”

“Do you believe it was the Brushfang?” the other asked, “we all know that their leader likes to encroach on your territory.”

“Doubtful. Aurum is brash, but he’s not one to deplete another clan to this level. I know he’s more wise than that.”

“Very well,” the first said, “we’ll keep investigating. We’ll spread the word should anything major come up from this. Until then, be safe, Chief Armon.”

With that, the two of them left. Armon seemed to be in thought, when he noticed that Bianca was nearby.

“Bianca, about how much longer do you believe until we have to send out hunting parties again?”

“I’d say a week,” she answered, “It would be wise to plan to set up a heavier guard with the hunting party, however.”

“Very well,” Armon responded, “For now, let’s avoid going too far out from the clan grounds. Make sure the word is spread to the others.”

This was a rather intense way to end the day. I had to admit, at the time, I was beginning to feel less safe with this news. What made things feel worse was when the search parties that were sent out in the morning came back with more news of warrens rejecting taking in a new rabbit. All of these happenings were starting to weigh down on me, and it was something that Armon and Marble noticed. We spent that feeding time in mostly silence. When it came time to sleep, I noticed that Armon and Marble both huddled closer to me.

I couldn’t help but feel selfish, either. I now knew everything they went through, yet they still had to take the time to look after me. It was starting to feel like I wouldn’t leave here. How long would their hospitality last? I only knew that I had to take things one day at a time.

What other choice did I have?

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Took a while to even begin with this. Less world-building than the last chapter, but some more backstory.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by Welsh Halfwit »

You have a much different style of 'seat of the pants' writing than I do.

I'd hate it to be the same as mine as I think you do it better. You certainly seem to have a tighter idea of plot than I do.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Oh, wow, thanks!
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Really do love the work that you are putting into all of this! David is becoming one of my favorite characters from you!

Ehehe... That's probably a BAD thing. :|
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Still, I really do like that so many of my characters have fans.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Then you probably should be against having just me as a fan.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Latest chapter reads well D-Rock, you have a good range of chatacters in this and I can see the story developing, looking forward to finding out more about how the clans interact with one another.

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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks! I haven’t gotten around to starting the next chapter yet, so I’m. It sure when I’ll have the next part ready. Got some art things I’m focusing on right now.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Sorry it took so long to continue, but finally managed to finish the next chapter.
Part 1 Chapter 5
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Chapter 5

Well, the week came and went. Each day brought more news of warrens that weren’t open to new members. Apparently one was even hostile to the scouts. From the sounds of things, the clan was just about finished with the remains of my clan. As the days had passed, the thought that they’d turn to me for sustenance began to nag at me. At the very least, Armon had continued to assure me that that wouldn’t be the case as long as I was a guest. Somehow, I was still able to trust him, and Marble was always pleasant, if sometimes exhausting, company.

On the morning of the seventh day, I saw Armon elect some of the guards to go with a new group aside from the scouting party, apparently to begin the hunt. We hadn’t received word of whether or not the individuals responsible for the surplus killing were caught, so extra precautions were being taken. I noticed that despite different roles, their hunters and guards were equipped with the same dagger and buckler that I had always seen. I had thought that there would be different equipment, but I was wrong. Armon had said that he would be joining the hunting group as well.

Honestly, I wondered if this meant I could take a look in the section of the clan grounds that had so far been forbidden to me, now that I didn’t have to worry about seeing anyone I knew. I brought this course of action to Marble, who not surprisingly didn’t seem too keen on the idea.

“Look, David, I don’t think it’s a good idea to let you back there at all, and I heard Papa say the same thing to Ms. Bianca. He doesn’t want you to see what we do with our food.”

I’ll admit, I was kind of scared to take a look, but if I was going to be spending an extended amount of time here, it would help to know as much as I can of the grounds. Also, I was starting to get genuinely curious about how they lived. I knew I would have to get creative.

“So, Marble,” I started, “Armon didn’t want me going there because he didn’t want me to see what happened to my my family, but they’re not there anymore, right?”

“Um, true,” she answered, “but-”

“And I’m not food for anyone here, right?”

“No! Papa said you’re a guest.”

“And since I’m a guest, shouldn’t I be able to see what is in the clan grounds?”

“You got to see most of it-”

“And if I need to be safe here, I need to know where everything is, right?”

I could tell I was definitely getting under Marble’s skin now, but could also tell that she was lacking a full rebuttal.

“Fine!” she finally exclaimed, probably a bit louder than necessary, “we’ll go, but stay behind me when we see Ms. Bianca.”

If I could have leaped for joy for a well-executed plan, I would have, but I settled for the scowl that Marble was now wearing. It didn’t last long, though, and she eventually reverted to a more neutral look. She led the way to where I saw Bianca headed towards the week prior. I immediately noticed that this area was a lot different from the other places; it was a mostly wide-open space, with something I hadn’t seen before in the middle. It looked like two poles with several longer poles between them, and I could make out what appeared to be old wood ash in the middle. Not much further on, I could see what looked like two dens merged into one. Out of the top of one half I could see light plumes of smoke, as well as a smell I couldn’t place.

Marble led me to the den, giving a noticeably wide berth from where the poles were situated. I noticed what seemed like smaller versions of the poles situated on the front. As we got closer, I began to notice the faint yet incredibly familiar smell. If I needed a reminder of what was prepared here, this was it. Bianca came out just as we were getting near, just putting on her hood as she stepped out.

She once again looked surprised to see me, as her gaze was immediately transfixed upon me. I’ve learned that this was definitely unique to her, as none of the others here looked at me like that. As she stated she would, Marble positioned herself between us, and in her usual chipper attitude began to explain the situation.

“Hi, Ms. Bianca! David said that he wanted to see the rest of the grounds, since he wasn’t allowed to earlier. Maybe you two could talk, since we haven’t had a chance to do that yet.”

At this point, I was unnerved. During Marble’s entire speech, Bianca didn’t stop staring at me. Maybe this was why Marble didn’t want to introduce me? Was her stepping between us a way to keep attention diverted to her? If this was the case, definitely didn’t work.

“Pleasure to meet you, David,” she finally said, “I do hope we get along.” She extended a paw toward me. Her eyes kept that same piercing gaze, which made returning the pawshake much more awkward than it needed to be. “Was there anything you needed to ask, little one?”

I realized then that I didn’t really plan for this part. I already knew what happened here, but I didn’t know what else to ask.

“I just wanted to see what you did here,” I finally answered.

“Ah, I see,” she answered, finally breaking the gaze she had going. “As you should already know, we prepare the food here. The more important parts of it are left to me.”

“’More important?’” I asked. I had thought that something like this would be straightforward.

“Yes,” Bianca continued, “while just about anyone here can portion a catch, I take care of finer details, such as preserving a portion of it for later use. The rest is usually applied to fire. Some of those in our clan prefer what flames do to meat.”

I recalled my clan applying flames to some of the roots we had, apparently it made some of them more palatable, and we were always told to take care around fire, as they were painful to be caught in, but I never knew the same would be intentionally done to flesh. Not a pleasant thought, but we at least had that in common.

“What do you mean by ‘preserving?’” I asked.

“See that smoke?” Bianca gestured to the further half of the den, “we were taught that applying the right amount of smoke could make certain foods last much longer without rotting. Apparently this was a practice that was brought in with the previous chief. A hunt is never guaranteed to be successful, so it’s important for us to have something to fall back on. Every successful hunt we apply this method to some of it. This is especially important during winter, when hunting is less likely to succeed. I’ve heard stories from the older clan members like Zorren and Marla that starvation was always a reality before we were taught this.”

Back in my clan, winter was indeed harsh. I don’t recall anyone starving to death, but I remember that we would often have very little to eat. Always just enough to keep us going, but never quite enough to satisfy. I was impressed that there were ways around this.

“It also helped that we had trade agreements with some of the villages that dot the land,” Bianca continued, “From what I recall, the previous chief learned this technique from them. I guess when you’re not as preoccupied with making it through the day, you have time to learn some things, and it was a good thing that they were willing to teach us.”

“Do these villages have to hunt, too?” I asked. I had no frame of reference for them, but it sounded like they were clans that were larger and better off.

“Not like we do. They don’t hunt other mammals, that’s forbidden to them. From what I’ve seen, this is something they normally do with fish and birds. I’ve learned that they even learned of how to keep those and raise them the same way one would raise a garden. Perhaps if we had the resources, we could do the same, but for now we get those things from them if we need to.”

“Do they give them to you, or how does that work?” This was definitely something that seemed too convenient and easy, I thought that there must be some catch.

“It’s incredibly rare that we receive charity from them,” Bianca answered. “Usually they want something in trade. Whenever Armon goes to barter with them, he takes some of our weaponry, they like those. Occasionally we’ll have trinkets that belonged to those we’ve hunted that are worth something. If that fails, Armon takes some of what they take as currency. They tend to be more eager to accept that.”

“I heard Armon talk about ‘currency,’” I interjected, “but what is that?”

“I’m not sure,” Bianca answered, unfortunately, “just some pieces of metal as far as I know.”

“Ooh, I can tell you!” Marble said. I had noticed that she was surprisingly silent in this conversation until now, “Papa told me that the villages use them almost exclusively for trade! Each one is meant to represent a value, so they put a special value on just about everything, even food and jobs! Just trade them pieces that equals what you want, and they can take this currency and use it for something they want. It’s like a circle with these!”

This was definitely odd to me, but I guessed that it could potentially be easier than carrying around a lot of things that someone may not even want to trade for in the first place. These villages seemed strange, but they were also pretty beneficial. No way my clan would have gotten involved with them, though.

“Marble? David?”

A rather unmistakable voice came up from behind us. Seemed that Armon had returned much more quickly than we had expected. When we turned around, we saw a look on confusion on his face. I guess he never figured that I’d take the initiative in searching the grounds.

“Don’t worry, Chief,” Bianca started, “our guest merely wanted to sate his curiosity. Just told him on how we’ve managed to keep ourselves fed during lean times and some of your visits to the villages. Though I feel that I’m not the best person to go to for the latter subject.”

I noticed that Armon seemed to wince a bit at the mention of their food. It seemed that he really didn’t want me to know of this, but at least there was nothing out and about for me to see.

“It was fine, Papa,” Marble said, as if to ease the tension, “I was with David the entire time.”

“I see,” Armon responded, “I wanted to make sure it was clear to come to this side. The hunting party was most fortunate today. I wanted to let you know, Bianca, that there’s some work to be done, so some of the party will be helping you with preparations. Also, David, if you and Marble are done, perhaps you should head back to the den by another way, so you don’t run into the hunting party.”

I noticed a hint of sternness in his voice, not to dissimilar to how my dad used to reprimand me for going too far. I decided not to overstay the conversation.

Marble led me back to the den through a longer way. Before we got entirely out of sight, I saw the hunting party make their way to where Bianca and Armon were. I could at least make out that what they had caught was definitely not a rabbit.

When we got back to the den, Marble let out a sigh of relief. I knew that she wasn’t keen on taking me there today, but she seemed a lot more tense that I thought she would be. I had to ask what was wrong.

“I’m just glad we’re done with speaking to Bianca right now,” she answered, “you saw how she was staring at you, right?”

“Yeah, I did,” I answered, “why does she do that? Does anyone else get those stares?”

Marble drew a deep breath, seemingly not wanting to answer.

“No, she doesn’t do that to anyone else. At least not the rest of the clan. David, rabbit is her favorite.”

If I recall correctly, my heart skipped a beat at this. I knew that I was among a whole den of predators, though after all of this time, I hadn’t spoken to one that preferred what I was. Suddenly her eyeing me up made a lot of sense.

“Everyone here respects Papa a lot, David,” Marble added, as I did not hide my shock, “As long as you’re our guest, no one is going to hurt you. But play safe, please?”

We spent much of the rest of the day playing in the den. Marble had started to show off more of her abilities with me, which I didn’t mind seeing. Eventually we saw the scouting troop return. Armon had went up to them. I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, but seeing how Armon slumped a bit told me that another warren had refused me. I was beginning to wonder what was going on, that so many had refused one more member. It seemed odd to me, and still does.

We saw Armon lead the group back towards Bianca’s den, and he eventually returned with my daily allotment of roots and sent Marble to join the rest of the clan. This kind of thing was becoming quite routine.

“I do hope you understand why I didn’t want you to be in that section, little one?” Despite the question, I didn’t detect the stern voice he had earlier.

“Was it because you didn’t want me to know what happens to your food, or because of Bianca?”

To my surprise, there was a pause.

“Both, but I’ll admit, more of the latter. Bianca is just as loyal a clanmate as the rest, and she wouldn’t dare disobey one of my orders without a very good reason, but I see how she is when it comes to her favorite food. In her defense, all the rest of us are like this to an extent, but with different things.

“You’re certainly a curious one, which is an admirable trait,” Armon continued, “but it would also be wise to discern the best way to safely sate it. Something I hope that you can learn in time, as it will prove beneficial in your path to survival.”

“So, what’s you’re favorite?” I asked. Armon seemed fine with being around me, so I thought maybe it was something else. He seemed to ponder this question for a bit before answering.

“I’d say mice, which is quite beneficial, as that was what our hunting party was able to track down,” Armon answered, with a clear smile on his face. “There’s a number of those clans around these parts. Marble prefers the trout that live in the rivers nearby.”

I pondered my next question, but decided to save it for another day. It wasn’t long before Marble came back and allowed Armon to head back to eat. Nothing more happened that night, we merely went back to where we slept when we were done. I had to admit, it was getting easier to navigate the den in the darkness over time.

One more day, one more clan that I couldn’t join, but one more piece of knowledge of the place I was staying. It was starting to feel like whatever power that determines our fate was at least making it up to me.

I had to admit, I was beginning to enjoy my time being with Marble and Armon, but I knew that my place was among my kind. After all, I was only a guest, but I had to wonder, would I have learned what I had in this short of a time with any other clan? For now, just had to move forward.

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A lot more slower-paced, but I think I'm done with the workings of the Foxpaw clan.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by Welsh Halfwit »

The interesting thing I read in this is it's never really David being brave that drives the story. It's his curiosity and desire to learn that moves him around and informs his interactions with others (Esp. Marble) Of course he IS being brave but it's becoming the norm for him. As it should be. Bravery with a calm expressiveness, so to speak.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Glad that you were able to finish this up! I liked the story a lot Rocky!
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Thanks, guys, and yup, that kind of is how I wanted to portray David, considering how secluded he was in his first clan.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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D-Rock wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:55 am Sorry it took so long to continue, but finally managed to finish the next chapter.
Don't worry, D-Rock. We know what you're going through. Take as long as you like.

Excellent chapter.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Might have to go back and read this now.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Been enjoying David's perspective on this. It's certainly a unique situation he finds himself in
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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I want to make sheets for the other fox members I had David and Marble speak with before I commit to another chapter, but motivation to do even that has been lacking for a while now. They won’t be anything like my biography sheets, though, just their picture and occupation. I may make more as time passes.
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

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Sounds intresting.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Whatever you make I am sure will be lovely! I really did like what you did with the story a lot!
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DDeer
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by DDeer »

A great chapter, slower paced as you say but its good to have some dynamics in a story, can't all be action. Good writing I think.

Varied characters and world building, I like how you have thought about how tribes would interact such as trade.
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D-Rock
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Re: Foxpaw Chronicles

Post by D-Rock »

Thanks! Thought I’d try to get the building block of the world set up as early as possible. Though there’s more I need to bring up, I think it can wait. Marble already established that magic is a thing right now.
Faith doesn't change circumstances. Faith changes me.
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