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Description
The soft glow of the full moon spread out evenly over the darkened land, casting out long shadows amongst the trees in doing so. It was a quiet, comfortable night, the occasional hoot of an owl or chirping of crickets the only noises to break the still silence. Nothing seemed awake: The once-noisy birds quietly sleeping on their roosting perches, the field mice curled up tightly in their nests made of soft grass. Even the deer with her large eyes, the color of liquified night, was still bedded down amongst the pines, sensitive ears pricked for the slightest hint of danger. Nothing stirred on this summer's night.

Or so it seemed.

There was one animal who wasn't in their den sleeping the night peacefully away. Coming down a path, known only to her, trotted a fox. She was rather large for a vixen, with long brown legs and a lean frame. The light from the moon shone brilliantly upon her flame-colored fur as she walked, giving off the illusion that her coat had turned into living flames itself.  Her brown ears pricked forward and always on the alert. Her long, dark brown bushy tail with the splash of white at its tip flowing out behind her. Pure white fur ran from her face to her chest and continued down towards her belly. Her eyes of pure liquid gold flicked back and forth every so often, checking the undergrowth for signs of movement that might give away prey...or an enemy.

Suddenly the vixen stopped. Her sensitive nose had picked up a scent that demanded further investigation. Her ears were drawn slowly back and her eyes narrowed as she recognized the scent's owner.

Another fox. And it wasn't alone.
The vixen curled up her lips slightly in a small snarl.

"Intruders." She whispered, then sighed. "And I thought I was free of chores for the day."

That being said, she turned off the trail and leaped into the dark shadows of the night.

* * *

"Hey, don't ya think we should leave now? We've been here for almost three hours, and I'd like to get back to my own den sometime soon." A scrawny brown red fox complained to his companion.

"Quite your whining Stick. We still have plenty of time before daybreak, and we'll be long gone before that ol' vixen shows up. And it's only a vixen. A few growls and she'll be headin' home yelping and with her tail between her legs." Stick's partner said confidently. He was dark grey in color and was unusually large in size, with muscular legs and a set of strong jaws that were stained red from the blood of a freshly killed rabbit. His left ear had several notches in it from many a past fight, and he was extremely proud of his "medals". His muzzle was also scarred from battle, and he had one long, thin scar running down from the base of his right ear and ending at his right eye.

Stick shivered even though it wasn't very cold out.
"Yeah, but Boulder, have you hear the rumors? This is the same vixen who's shredded the fur of many a fox, no matter their size, if she found out that they were stealing prey from her territory! Didn't you ever hear about what happened to  Sol? " Stick said, nearly whimpering out the last few words.

Boulder stalked up to Stick and promptly thrust his blood-stained muzzle into the smaller fox's face. Stick shrank back in fear as the bigger fox towered over him.

"Listen carefully Stick, because you're treading on very thin ice," Boulder said, the beginnings of a snarl forming on his lips. "Whether she likes it or not, this vixen is going to share her bounty with us, and nothing is going to stop me from snatching a few tasty morsels. Of course, you can always leave if you're too much of a coward, but understand this:If you EVER try to come back to me, begging for a piece of rabbit after a raiding trip, you'll find you'll have yourself a bloody stump where your tail used to be. Are we clear?"

Stick gulped, getting the message. "Y-yes Boulder."

"Good," Boulder said simply, giving his tail a flick. "Now help me carry the prey over the border. We've got some work to do before sunrise."

* * *

Description
The soft glow of the full moon spread out evenly over the darkened land, casting out long shadows amongst the trees in doing so. It was a quiet, comfortable night, the occasional hoot of an owl or chirping of crickets the only noises to break the still silence. Nothing seemed awake: The once-noisy birds quietly sleeping on their roosting perches, the field mice curled up tightly in their nests made of soft grass. Even the deer with her large eyes, the color of liquified night, was still bedded down amongst the pines, sensitive ears pricked for the slightest hint of danger. Nothing stirred on this summer's night.

Or so it seemed.

There was one animal who wasn't in their den sleeping the night peacefully away. Coming down a path, known only to her, trotted a fox. She was rather large for a vixen, with long brown legs and a lean frame. The light from the moon shone brilliantly upon her flame-colored fur as she walked, giving off the illusion that her coat had turned into living flames itself.  Her brown ears pricked forward and always on the alert. Her long, dark brown bushy tail with the splash of white at its tip flowing out behind her. Pure white fur ran from her face to her chest and continued down towards her belly. Her eyes of pure liquid gold flicked back and forth every so often, checking the undergrowth for signs of movement that might give away prey...or an enemy.

Suddenly the vixen stopped. Her sensitive nose had picked up a scent that demanded further investigation. Her ears were drawn slowly back and her eyes narrowed as she recognized the scent's owner.

Another fox. And it wasn't alone.
The vixen curled up her lips slightly in a small snarl.

"Intruders." She whispered, then sighed. "And I thought I was free of chores for the day."

That being said, she turned off the trail and leaped into the dark shadows of the night.

* * *

"Hey, don't ya think we should leave now? We've been here for almost three hours, and I'd like to get back to my own den sometime soon." A scrawny brown red fox complained to his companion.

"Quite your whining Stick. We still have plenty of time before daybreak, and we'll be long gone before that ol' vixen shows up. And it's only a vixen. A few growls and she'll be headin' home yelping and with her tail between her legs." Stick's partner said confidently. He was dark grey in color and was unusually large in size, with muscular legs and a set of strong jaws that were stained red from the blood of a freshly killed rabbit. His left ear had several notches in it from many a past fight, and he was extremely proud of his "medals". His muzzle was also scarred from battle, and he had one long, thin scar running down from the base of his right ear and ending at his right eye.

Stick shivered even though it wasn't very cold out.
"Yeah, but Boulder, have you hear the rumors? This is the same vixen who's shredded the fur of many a fox, no matter their size, if she found out that they were stealing prey from her territory! Didn't you ever hear about what happened to  Sol? " Stick said, nearly whimpering out the last few words.

Boulder stalked up to Stick and promptly thrust his blood-stained muzzle into the smaller fox's face. Stick shrank back in fear as the bigger fox towered over him.

"Listen carefully Stick, because you're treading on very thin ice," Boulder said, the beginnings of a snarl forming on his lips. "Whether she likes it or not, this vixen is going to share her bounty with us, and nothing is going to stop me from snatching a few tasty morsels. Of course, you can always leave if you're too much of a coward, but understand this:If you EVER try to come back to me, begging for a piece of rabbit after a raiding trip, you'll find you'll have yourself a bloody stump where your tail used to be. Are we clear?"

Stick gulped, getting the message. "Y-yes Boulder."

"Good," Boulder said simply, giving his tail a flick. "Now help me carry the prey over the border. We've got some work to do before sunrise."

* * *