Sly Fox (Short story) by Dibosa P.C. Marcel

Sly Fox

By: Dibosa P.C. Marcel


Summer dies just as winter is born, leaving all things to fend for themselves. As mother fox stuck her nose out of her tiny den, she could smell the dust was cold as ice, winter was here and soon there would be no food for miles. This worried the mother fox so, fore she had many mouths to feed.

”where have all the rabbits gone.” Her oldest pup asked as the fox stepped back to her den. “I haven’t eaten in days.”

“Hush now.” Said the mother fox. “Don’t scare your brothers and sisters, I saw a rabbit just over ways, stay here and I’ll go find it.” Of course there was no rabbit, for all of them had migrated for the winter.

As the fox left the den chasing after her phantom rabbit, she thought to herself. “The air around me is getting colder, and I fear even my fur can not keep us through the winter, even if I can get a rabbit today, what about tomorrow and the day after that.” The fox searched far and wide, but no dinner was in sight, just endless snow so fair and white. “Even a carcass would do.” She yelled, sending icy spit from her breath.

The fox fell to the ground, as morbid thoughts filled her mind, she wailed and wailed, crying. “Oh what shall I do? My cubs will be dead in a week or two.” Her thoughts were abruptly cut short, as she heard a twig snap behind her. “A rabbit maybe, a rat maybe?” Her heart fluttered, as she turned in excitement only to see a mighty grizzly bear standing behind her, mother fox spine went cold as she shivered in fear, she could not run, for her little paws were sore from walking around the cold snow.

“Oh lucky me.” The grizzly said in a condescending tone. “one last meal for the winter.”

“Please don’t eat me.” The fox cried. “Please pretend you did not see me.”

“I have toppled trees, and crushed mountains looking for food, and now I am to pretend I have not found one?”

“Crushed mountains you say?”

“Yes.” Yelled the bear.

“I know of no animal able to achieve such a feat.” Mother fox said in disbelief

“I am no ordinary animal.” Said the bear. “I am mighty, and the strongest in all the land.”

“Then before you eat me, at least grant me a display of your great strength.” The fox replied as ideas of survival poured into her head. An animal this size could surely last her and her pups this winter.

“You see that tree over there.” The bear pointed behind the fox. “ I shall snap it like a twig.” And so it did, very easily it did. “Now my dear fox prepare to be devoured.”

“Hm.” Yawned the fox. “To be eaten by a grizzly with such disappointing strengths…so is the fate of one as small as I, oh yes it must be.”

“Disappointing!!!.” Yelled the bear.

“Disappointing, yes. I know a deer who uprooted a tree of much bigger stature with its tail.” The foxed said. “Are all grizzlies as weak as you?” she added sounding even more condescending than the bear.

“No…there are no grizzlies like me.”

“Oh so, you must be the weakest grizzly?”

“No, I am the strongest grizzly…the mightiest, I crush mountai…”

“So you said, but you can barely break a tree.” Mother fox interrupted.

“Barely?.” Yelled the bear. “show me a tree bigger than this and I shall still break it in two.”

Mother fox pretended to look around, walking in circles, making the dear grizzlies head spin.

“Alas all trees here are the same size.” The fox said. Then she placed her paw on her jaw, as if to think. “But!.” She yelled.

“But what.”

“No, no no. you couldn’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“You couldn’t pull the branch that sticks from my den.”

“A branch.” Laughed the bear. “A branch is nothing to me you stupid fox.”

“The deer even with his mighty tail could not pull this branch.” The foxed replied. “So I doubt that you could.”

The bear feeling challenged screamed. “Take me to your den, so that I may show you that I am truly mighty.”

“If you say so.” The foxed said smiling.

The walk to the foxes den was a long one. But even longer so in her mind, as she thought about what she would do.

“My dear grizzly, your fur is so thick and large, surely you must feel no cold in the winter.”

“Of course I feel no cold, my fur keeps me warm all through.” Replied the bear.

“And you are so incredibly large.” She said salivating. “surely an animal such as yourself would be more meat than bone”

“Muscle.” The bear roared. “Mighty muscle.”

When the duo got to the den, the fox went in first.

“come inside.” She said. “I shall show where the branch is.”

“But your cave is so small.” The bear said.

“Right you are. Well you can stick your head in, the branch is long and you can grab it with your mouth.”

“Of course said the bear.” As he stuck his large head into the tiny hole. “Your den is too dark.” He roared. “I can barely see.” He tried to get his head out, but it was stuck.

“Help me fox, for I am stuck in your den.”

“With your might you should be able to get yourself out.” The fox said

“This isn’t funny.” The bear said; as he struggled to get his neck lose. And then he felt a sharp pain.

“ARRRRRGHHHHHH.” The bear roared. “My nose, my nose.”

“I’m sorry.” The fox said. “My pups are so hungry they can barely contain themselves.”

“Pups?” asked the bear, as he was shocked to find little yellow eyes light up all over the dark den. “You tricked me, I’ll kill you, you and your cubs, you trickster.” The bear yelled in agony as the mother foxes pups nibbled away at his nose.

“My dear grizzly it can’t hurt that bad, my cubs are young and have no sharp teeth… on the other hand.” She took a chunk out of his face. The bear screamed so loud it rumbled the cave.

“Stop, after winter, my carcass will block any escape from your den.” The bear pleaded. “Let me go and we will forget this ever happened.”

“When the winter ends, my cubs will have grown bigger, and worked up an appetite.” She replied. “we will simply eat through you.”

The bear cried and pleaded. “Please let me go, please, it hurts when your pups bite.” He pleaded and cried some more, sending raging noise through the once quiet den.

“This is unbecoming; of you my dear grizzly, one such as you should not cry so loudly, after all you are the strongest in all the land.” The fox said and she bit the grizzlies tongue off. Silencing him for good.