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CHAPTER 2-Into the woods and out of the mansion
The wind rustled the leaves of the trees in the woods. Why Fox wanted the woods and not the fields, Krystal would probably never know. They walked far into the woods, not too far to get lost, but Fox knew his way around the woods better than anyone in the village. He also knew many ways to navigate himself around.
Light penetrated through the leaves and made the forest look even more beautiful than before. The birds sang lovely tunes in the trees and Krystal hummed along with them. It always made Fox happy to be with Krystal when she was happy. He'd never really seen Krystal depressed before.
They got to a clearing in the woods and spread out a blanket. The blanket was checker spotted red and black, much like a checker board. The picnic basket had a variety of sandwiches a small batch of fruit: apples, oranges, bananas, peaches and pears. For dessert they had cheesecake that Krystal baked herself.
"This is nice." Krystal said, unwrapping a sandwich and taking a bite. Fox was about to take a bite of an apple when he paused and smiled at Krystal. They sat on opposite ends of the blanket, the picnic basket in the middle and the food spread around them.
"Listen to the birds sing. Aren't they wonderful Fox?" Krystal spoke a little softer than before. Her eyes were on the trees that she could hear the birds from.
"Not as wonderful as you." Fox smirked and laid back on the blanket using his elbows to hold him up. Krystal giggled and blushed. She didn't realize her tail swaying back and forth with happiness.
Krystal still sitting up reached in and pulled out the cheesecake. She smiled pleasantly and pulled Fox to sit up. She unwrapped it and cut a slice off. She placed it on a plate and handed it to Fox. "Try some and tell me what you think. Be honest with me Fox because this is the first time I've ever made a cheesecake before." She spoke with a wink at the end.
Fox took the plate and licked his lips. He cut it with a fork and took a piece in his mouth. The cake was sweet. Fox let out a long "Mmmmmmm" and swallowed it. The after taste was even better! "This is delicious." He said with honesty in his voice.
Krystal scooted closer to Fox and rested her head on his shoulder. Fox was a little surprised at her sudden affection. In response he wrapped his tail around Krystal and held her closer. He set the plate down, the cheesecake only half eaten. They both sighed happily.
***
It was that time of the week again. That time in which Shane would step out of his mansion and take a long stroll through the woods. He did so once every week. Shane stepped outside and breathed in a whiff of fresh-air. He walked down the stairs and looked at the forest. It was greener than usual and the scent that he could smell from the woods was more pleasant than before. 'Today is going to be a good day,' he thought to himself. He continued to walk down the stone steps outside his mansion until he was at the base of the woods. He stepped into the woods.
Everything in the woods was so alive, and so perfect. The birds were happier today than they were last week. The flowers that blossomed even looked more alive and Shane took this in.
Shane picked a flower and took a whiff. "It smells so nice." He said aloud to himself. He always talked to himself in the woods. He had no one to talk to anyway and he didn't like the silence. The wind blew softly and his fur rustled, it felt so good. Shane's days usually weren't like this. The sun was shining bright....he actually felt more alive than ever before, and he actually smiled as he took in more clean air. Shane hadn't smiled like this before...in fact he almost never smiled. But there was something different about the atmosphere today. Something that made him happy.
He continued his stroll through the woods. The woods were vast and he'd always tried to walk until he could see the village. He knew that others had seen him before and he knew that they told stories about him. Stories that just weren't really true. Shane may have been alone but he knew how to sneak through the village unseen and unheard, and he done it before. He continued through the woods and was even humming a tune similar to what the birds were singing. 'What am I doing?' he thought.
He then stopped...he could hear voices. Not just that, but he heard giggling. "There are furs in my woods." He said to himself and decided to follow the giggles.
***
"I hope Krystal and Fox come back real soon." Falco said biting into a PB&J sandwich. It certainly couldn't have been as good as Krystal's cheesecake, but it was all he had to eat at the moment.
"Why do you say that?" Peppy perked up, trying to stay awake. On slow days like this Peppy usually went to sleep. They didn't get too many visits today either.
"You haven't heard of 'Dark Fox'?" Falco said surprised. Peppy shook his head and Falco continued. "Every week about this day, you can usually see a shadowy figure running through the woods. All anyone knows is that he's a fox. And because of his dark persona that we see, or should I say assume, we call him Dark Fox. He's pretty damn dangerous I think. Anyone who spends his time in the woods like that."
Peppy's eyes widened. "I've heard different stories about him actually."
Just then Bill walked in and Falco immediately looked at him, "Bill, tell Peppy about 'Dark Fox'."
Bill sighed. Of all the furs in the village, Bill was the most trustworthy and people always believed his stories. "He comes into the woods once a week on this very day. He can be seen pressing through the woods. No one knows his intentions. I've seen him up close once. His fur is covered in black, his muzzle is white and so is the tip of his tail. He sneers at the likes of us who roam this village and he growls with anger and disdain towards us all, and one day I heard him say: 'you're all going to hell.' He's very dangerous! You really shouldn't go into the woods at this time of the week. That’s when he roams most. No one is sure where he came from, but one thing is for sure: he's one bad fox that you don't want to mess with."
Falco gulped, remembering Krystal and Fox were in the woods, he never heard anything about the Dark Fox being "dangerous" before. Though he should've put it together. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." He came to a stance and walked out of the hut in the middle of the village.
Falco stammered off talking to himself rather loudly, not knowing that Bill was close behind him: "How could I have been so stupid to let Fox and Krystal go into the woods by themselves with Dark Fox running around?"
Bill grabbed Falco and whipped him around by the shoulder. Any other furs around turned their gaze and watched them. "You did what!?" Bill growled. "They better come back for your sake."
"Hey, Fox is there, they'll be fine." Falco shook nervously. His voice had a bit of panic. "We should go into the woods and find them."
"Are you crazy!? With Dark Fox running the woods. What if Dark Fox finds them before we do....or worse, what if he finds US before we find THEM?"
"We can't just abandon them there." Falco protested.
Bill shook his head. "Alright fine. We'll search for them. But I'm not going that deep into the woods to fish them out. Get Peppy and let’s go search for them."
***
"Catch me if you can!" Krystal giggled running deeper into the woods as Fox was chasing behind her. They had packed everything up; they were just playing harmlessly now. Krystal ran and hid behind a tree. She giggled softly placing a paw over the front of her mouth.
Fox popped around the tree and Krystal screamed playfully. She hit Fox playfully on the head and hugged him tightly. Fox wrapped his arms around Krystal and held her close. It was a moment that neither of them wanted to end. Krystal rested her muzzle on Fox's shoulder and noticed a figure moving in the woods.
She couldn't quite see the face, but it was a black fox with a white muzzle and a white tail-tip. Her eyes widened as they met with his. He then scampered off in the other direction.
Krystal pulled away from Fox still staring deep into the woods. "What’s wrong?" Fox asked puzzled. He took her paw.
Krystal looked up at Fox and squeezed his paw gently. "I thought I saw something in the woods." The woods weren't all that dark but she was thinking that she was seeing things. She hugged into Fox and held him tightly. She felt safe in his embrace.
Fox then realized that they left the basket in the woods. They decided to go back to where they were.
***
Bill, Falco and Peppy had made there way into the woods. Bill sniffed out the scent and then licked his lips. "Someone made cheesecake." He said and then followed the scent.
They came up to the picnic basket. Fox and Krystal weren't there. Falco gasped. "You don't think that--"
"Of course not!" Bill interrupted. "This is Fox remember? He always leaves food around. It’s amazing how he can remember all those stories and all his adventures he's been on and remember everything else. But for some rather odd reason he can't ever seem to remember that he needs to eat."
Just then Fox and Krystal appeared. "Why are you guys here!?" Fox asked. He was a little shocked. He let go of Krystal's paw and picked up the basket.
"We were worried about you because of Dark Fox." Peppy spoke up.
Fox rolled his eyes back and shook his head letting out a deep sigh. "Dark Fox is only a myth. There is no Dark Fox. I've heard the stories and I've heard the rumors, but there is no Dark Fox."
***
Up in the trees just above Fox and the gang, the Dark Fox watched. Shane wasn't interested in what the others were saying. His mind was more focused on Krystal. She was the most beautiful vixen that he'd ever seen. Perhaps she was the one that could make Shane human again. But what would she say when he turned human in front of her? He quickly dismissed the thought. The only problem was that Fox was getting in the way.
He curled up on a branch. Anything to make him seem invisible would work just fine. There was no way he'd reveal himself. His eyes were entirely focused on Krystal. Everything about her shined. Her unique blue fur was perplexing but what really stood out were her lovely emerald eyes. They sparkled. To Shane, she was even lovelier than the platinum vixen that turned him into this black fox.
He watched the group talk and then begin to walk off. He looked down and watch them trail out of the woods. When they were far enough ahead, Shane dropped out of the tree and place his back against another adjacent to it. He peaked around just to take another look at Krystal. He was now debating if he should go into the village and talk to her or not. It was actually the first time he'd ever seen Krystal and he wasn't too sure of where he lived, but he could get around.
As Fox and his friends left the woods, Shane came to a decision. He decided that he'd go to the village and see the lovely vixen. He gave a low sigh and started towards the village.
 Darkfox Soldier · Mon Feb 12, 2007 @ 09:25pm · 0 Comments |
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